Just hours after resigning as Bangladesh’s Prime Minister and fleeing the country, Sheikh Hasina arrived in India on Monday evening. Landing at Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad, she met with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. According to sources, she was moved to a “safe house” and is expected to travel to the United Kingdom.
Hasina’s abrupt exit and the ensuing chaos in Dhaka have alarmed India, which fears that the unrest could spill over and affect its interests, given India’s close ties and support for the Awami League.
On Monday night, Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to assess the situation in Bangladesh. The meeting included Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and senior intelligence officials.
Jaishankar briefed Modi on the developments and informed Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi about the situation in Bangladesh.
Sheikh Hasina, accompanied by her sister, arrived at Hindon airbase around 5:15 pm in a C-130J military transport aircraft from the Bangladesh Air Force. During her meeting with Doval, senior military and intelligence officials were present, sources said.
A security official stated that Hasina was taken to a “safe house.” A PTI report mentioned that she might meet her daughter Saima Wazed, who is based in Delhi and works as the World Health Organisation’s regional director for South-East Asia.
Sources reported that two Indian Air Force planes departed for Assam from Hindon airbase, and another from Lucknow to deploy security personnel along the border areas.
Top government officials held meetings with the Armed Forces on Monday evening to plan evacuation efforts. The Indian Air Force is set to evacuate Indians stranded in Bangladesh, including high commission staff, starting Tuesday.
South Block closely monitored scenes of protesters attacking Hasina’s office and residence, storming Parliament, vandalizing Awami League offices, and damaging a statue of Mujibur Rahman. India has increased security at its diplomatic facilities in Bangladesh, but concerns extend beyond immediate safety.
India has supported Hasina for over 16 years, despite criticism of her undemocratic practices towards the Opposition, civil society, and the media. India has provided aid for infrastructure and humanitarian needs to Bangladesh.
Despite facing accusations of election rigging from the West, particularly the US, India stood by Hasina. She visited India three times in the past year, highlighting the strong ties between the two countries and India’s backing of her amidst growing domestic opposition.
In recent months, as Hasina faced protests and unrest, she framed the dissent as opposition-driven, using state machinery to suppress it. This escalated the movement, initially led by disillusioned youth, into a larger opposition-backed protest, resulting in casualties between 200 and 300 and demands for her resignation.
India perceived this as a “complete mishandling” of the protests, and focused on evacuating its citizens, bringing back about 4,500 Indians last month.
With Hasina’s departure, India is concerned about “anti-India elements” gaining influence in Bangladesh’s new power structure. India’s strong ties with the Awami League might not extend to opposition parties like the BNP and Jamaat, posing a challenge if they come to power.
India will rely on its established connections with Bangladesh’s security forces, intelligence agencies, and civil society to manage the potential fallout from the changing political landscape in Bangladesh.
