Sheikh Hasina lands in Hindon hours after resigning as Bangladesh PM; NSA Doval meets her

NEW DELHI: Embattled Bangladesh leader Sheikh Hasina landed at the Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad on Monday as part of her plan to go to London, hours after she resigned as the prime minister following weeks of anti-government protests that killed nearly 300 people.

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, accompanied by senior officials, met Hasina at the airbase near Delhi and is understood to have conveyed India’s position on the developments in Bangladesh, sources said.

In a related development, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, also deliberated on the unfolding situation in Bangladesh.

Separately, Jaishankar briefed Modi about the situation in Bangladesh. The external affairs minister also apprised Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on the developments in the neighbouring country.

It is learnt that Hasina has been moved to a safe location as it is unlikely that she would leave India on Monday night.

The sources said Hasina’s plan was to leave for London. However, certain issues have come up because of which there is some uncertainty in her original plan.

India is yet to make any comment on the developments in Bangladesh. It is expected that Jaishankar will make a statement in Parliament on Tuesday on the situation in the neighbouring country.

Hasina, 76, who ruled the South Asian country with an iron fist for 15 years, resigned as the prime minister following the massive protests that initially began as an agitation against a job quota scheme but weeks later morphed into a mass movement demanding her ouster from power.

The controversial quota system provided for 30 per cent reservations in civil services jobs for the families of veterans who fought the 1971 liberation war.

Hasina’s Awami League retained power in parliamentary election in January that was boycotted by the opposition parties.

The former Bangladesh prime minister, accompanied by her sister Sheikh Rehana, left her official residence ‘Ganabhavan’ in a military chopper to an airbase, the sources said.

From the airbase, she flew into Hindon in a C-130 military transport aircraft of the Bangladesh Air Force, they said.

Hasina is likely to meet her daughter Saima Wazed, who is based in Delhi. Wazed is working as the World Health Organisation’s regional director for South-East Asia.

There is no official word on Hasina’s arrival in Delhi and her meeting with the NSA.

India decided to provide a safe passage through the Indian airspace to Hasina’s aircraft following a request from Dhaka, the sources cited above told PTI.

Indian government sources said New Delhi is closely following the fast-paced developments in Dhaka.

There is no reaction yet from India on the unfolding developments in Bangladesh.

In Dhaka, Bangladesh Army Chief General Waqar-uz-Zaman said Hasina has resigned and an interim government is taking over the responsibilities.

“I’m taking all responsibility (of the country). Please cooperate,” he said in a televised address.

The Army chief said he had met political leaders and told them the Army would take over responsibility for law and order.

More than 100 people have been killed in the protests against the Hasina government over the last two days.

The students’ protests in Bangladesh started last month against a controversial job quota scheme. The protests now have turned into an anti-government agitation. (PTI)