New Delhi: After the massive protests across the country spiralled out of control, Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina quit on Monday and fled the country along with her sister. She made her way into India in a helicopter and landed at the Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. There are speculations that she will make a brief stopover in India and then proceed for London soon.
Bangladesh was on the boil for weeks due to deadly protests against a quota system for government jobs. The turmoil peaked on Sunday after over 100 people died in clashes with the security forces. On Monday, defying a curfew, many protesters stormed the prime minister’s palace in Dhaka and ransacked it.
Amid the political uncertainty, Bangladesh Army Chief Gen. Waker-uz-Zaman said he takes the responsibility of the country and added that an interim government will be formed soon with the guidance of the President.
What next for Sheikh Hasina?
Sheikh Hasina landed at the Hindon airbase on Monday evening. After landing, she held a meeting with NSA Ajit Doval and top military officials in India. They assured her safety and security. Hasina has been moved to a safe place.
It is likely that Hasina will meet her daughter Saima Wazed during her brief stay in India. Based in Delhi, Saima is the South East Asian regional director for the World Health Organisation. The former PM is expected to leave for London shorty after that. It is not clear when she was leave. It could be either on Monday night or on Tuesday.
Hasina is likely to seek political asylum in the UK and will hold diplomatic talk with the government of United Kingdom for the same. Some reports indicated that her sister Rehana has UK citizenship.
Hours after Sheikh Hasina’s resignation, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy told BBC that she will not be making a political comeback. also said that Hasina was disappointed over the protests in the country. She was mulling resignation since yesterday, and left the country after her family insisted, he added.
Last month, peeved students demanded an end to a quota system for government jobs which they claimed favoured those who were loyalists of prime minister’s Awami League party.
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