Sheikh Hasina in India; Jaishankar briefs PM Modi: Bangladesh crisis highlights

The United States called Monday for all sides to avoid violence in Bangladesh, where long-ruling prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled following protests.

“We urge all parties to refrain from further violence. Too many lives have been lost over the course of the past several weeks, and we urge calm and restraint in the days ahead,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

“We welcome the announcement of an interim government and urge any transition be conducted in accordance with Bangladesh’s laws,” he said.

Miller said the United States was “deeply saddened about the reports of human rights abuses, casualties and injuries over the weekend and past weeks.”

-AFP

Sajeeb Wazed Joy, son of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said his mother would not make a political comeback as she is “deeply disappointed” by the uprising against her leadership despite her efforts for the betterment of Bangladesh, Dhaka Tribune reported.

Joy, who served as an official adviser to the former prime minister until Monday, said in an interview with a British public service broadcaster’s Newshour program that Sheikh Hasina had been contemplating resignation since Sunday and had left the country for her safety following pressure from her family.

“She has turned Bangladesh around. When she took over power it was considered a failing state. It was a poor country. Until today it was considered one of the rising tigers of Asia,” Joy said, defending his mother’s record in office, Dhaka Tribune reported.

-ANI

Britain on Monday called for “swift action” to restore democracy in Bangladesh even as reports of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina seeking UK asylum emerged from India, where she arrived after fleeing Dhaka amid violent protests.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s official spokesperson told reporters during a briefing at 10 Downing Street that he was “deeply saddened” by the violence in Bangladesh in recent weeks.

It came as crowds gathered in the heavily British Bangladeshi hub of east London waving the country’s flag in celebration of Hasina’s downfall.

“We hope that swift action is taken to ensure that democracy prevails and accelerate the process towards peace and security for people in Bangladesh,” Starmer’s spokesperson said in response to a question on the situation in Bangladesh.

-PTI

Amid a political turmoil and unrest in Bangladesh, a former Indian high commissioner to Dhaka has cautioned that India will have to be “very vigilant” on the border in the wake of the crisis even as he asserted that New Delhi will be “prepared for all eventualities”.

Pankaj Saran, a veteran diplomat and former envoy of India to Bangladesh during whose tenure the historic Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) was ratified by the Indian parliament in 2015, said one cannot say when would things settle down in the neighbouring country.

“We will just have to wait for different political forces to kind of find some equilibrium inside Bangladesh,” he said.

“The last two days saw an escalation in the level of protests. Therefore, some decisions had to be taken about how to go forward in controlling the protests.

“I think, the situation reached a point where it was clear that curfews and other restrictions were not adequate. Police and security forces’ actions were not adequate and the only resort that was left was to bring in the army,” he told PTI.

-PTI

Amid the ongoing crisis in Bangladesh after the resignation of Sheikh Hasina, the Meghalaya Government imposed a night curfew in the State along the Indo-Bangladesh border. 

Today, Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said that in view of the current situation in Bangladesh, the Meghalaya government had decided to impose night curfew along the Indo-Bangladesh border from tonight. 

The curfew had been imposed from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. on the international border with Bangladesh within 200 meters of the border line inside Indian territory, upon the advice of the Border Security Force (BSF). Further, Preston had requested the people living on the international border with Bangladesh not to go to the curfew area after 6 p.m.

ANI

Nepal stepped up security at its border with India following the ouster of former PM Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh, fearing a potential infiltration of citizens from the violence-hit country.

The Ministry of Home Affairs instructed security agencies to adopt high alertness along the border to prevent unauthorised entry through international border areas, police said.

According to the police, the Home Ministry directed the security personnel deployed for border security to take extra precautions to prevent such infiltration.

“All security personnel deployed in the border areas have been instructed through circulars to closely monitor and take measures against potential illegal entries and activities from third countries,” said a senior official.

PTI

Bangladeshi President Mohammed Shahabuddin ordered the release of jailed former prime minister and key Opposition leader Khaleda Zia, hours after her arch-rival Sheikh Hasina was ousted and the military took power.

The President’s press team said in a statement that a meeting led by Shahabuddin had “decided unanimously to free Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia immediately”.

Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, along with the head of the navy and airforce, and top leaders of several Opposition parties including the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami party, attended the meeting. “The meeting has also decided to free all the people who have been arrested during the student protests,” the statement added.

AFP

Bangladesh’s military said it would lift a curfew imposed to quash protests at dawn on August 6, hours after it seized power following the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

“Offices, factories, schools, colleges... will be open” from 6:00 am Tuesday (0000 GMT), the military said in a statement.

AFP

Despite dramatic developments in Dhaka and the arrival of outgoing Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the Hindon airbase outside Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs made no statement about the situation in Bangladesh or on Ms. Hasina on Monday. Sources said that the MEA, headed by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, was engaged in a number of meetings within the government as well as with military officials as soon as news broke of ​Ms. Hasina’s resignation​, and then her decision to fly to India as she awaits asylum abroad. 

​Read the story here​

BJP MP Kangana Ranaut said it is a matter of great honour that Bangladesh leader Sheikh Hasina “feels safe in Bharat” after Ms. Hasina resigned as Prime Minister and landed near Delhi in a military aircraft amid unrest in her country.

Ms. Ranaut, a national award-winning actor and BJP MP from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, also criticised those questioning “Hindu Rastra (a Hindu nation)“. She claimed that Muslim countries are not safe “even for Muslims”.

Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari claimed that amid the ongoing unrest in Bangladesh, Hindus are being slaughtered in various parts of the neighbouring country and more than one crore refugees are likely to enter West Bengal soon. Those refugees must be given Indian citizenship under CAA, said Mr. Adhikari, the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly.

“Hindus are being slaughtered in Bangladesh. If the situation in Bangladesh is not brought under control in the next few days, then the people of Bengal should be ready to accept more than one crore refugees just like 1947 or the 1971 Liberation War,” he said. Mr. Adhikari said the Governor C.V. Ananda Bose and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee should immediately speak to the Centre over the matter. “The refugees must be granted (Indian) citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA),” he said.

PTI

Thousands of protesters in Bangladesh on Monday looted and vandalised Sheikh Hasina’s official residence in the capital Dhaka, smashed a statue of her father Mujibur Rahman with hammers and set her party’s offices on fire as they celebrated her departure as Prime Minister.

Jubilant crowds took to the streets across the country to celebrate their victory after Army chief General Waqar-uz-Zaman announced Ms. Hasina’s resignation. She had been ruling the strategically located South Asian nation since 2009.

Thousands of protesters defied a military curfew and stormed her official residence ‘Ganabhaban’ in the capital Dhaka. However, she was not at her residence.

Video footage showed protesters vandalising and looting Ms. Hasina’s official residence. They were seen celebrating on the Ganabhaban premises waving their hands in the air. Many of them were seen walking away with sofas and even chairs.

PTI

Following turmoil in Bangladesh, the Assam Government issued “high alert” to all its districts sharing border with the neighbouring country, a senior official said.

Assam’s Karimganj, Cachar, Dhubri and South Salmara-Mankachar districts share 267.5 km of international border with Bangladesh.

“We have alerted all the border districts to be on high alert. We have asked the District Commissioners and Superintendents of Police to personally monitor the border situation,” the official told PTI.

The European Union on Monday called for an “orderly and peaceful” transition to democratic rule in Bangladesh, after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled protests and the military took over.

“The EU calls for calm and restraint. It is vital that an orderly and peaceful transition towards a democratically elected government is ensured, in full respect of human rights and democratic principles,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.

AFP

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security on Monday night as the government’s top brass was briefed about the situation in Bangladesh. The meeting came as Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled her country and landed in India on her way to London.

Mr. Modi was joined by other members of the CCS, including Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. They were briefed by officials on the situation in the neighbouring country, official sources said.

IndiGo cancelled scheduled flights to and from Dhaka with immediate effect. IndiGo has flights to Dhaka from the national capital, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. The number of flights that are operated by the airline could not be immediately ascertained. A Vistara official said it operated the flight from Mumbai on Monday and the situation is being monitored for operations to Dhaka on Tuesday.

Amid the intensified protest in Bangladesh, Shahjalal International Airport has closed its operations for six hours, reported Bangladesh local media ProthomAlo. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced this information in a circular on Monday.

ANI

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Prime Minister Narendra Modi as Bangladesh leader Sheikh Hasina landed at the Hindon airbase near Ghaziabad on her way to London amid turmoil in her country.

Mr. Jaishankar is believed to have briefed Mr. Modi about the evolving situation in the neighbouring country but there was no official word on the meeting.

PTI

Several parliamentarians across different parties here expressed concern over the evolving situation in Bangladesh in the wake of its Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation amid massive protests against her government and an imminent takeover by an interim government. Ms. Hasina is reportedly on her way to London through India. It is not immediately clear whether the military transport aircraft of the Bangladesh Air Force, that is carrying Ms. Hasina, will take her beyond India or she will travel to London in a different plane. 

Congress MP Manish Tewari said the situation in the neighbouring country is sensitive and evolving and hoped the government will make a statement on it in both Houses of Parliament. Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Sasmit Patra said his party will support the Government of India’s stand on the issue. “It’s a very dynamic and evolving situation, and especially in the sense that Bangladesh is our neighbour. It of course concerns us greatly... Surely the Government of India would be apprised of the situation,” Mr. Patra said. “The BJD always supports the government on any international issue like this. We are very hopeful that the Government of India will do everything necessary to ensure that the situation, as far as India is concerned, is well protected,” he said.

CPI(M) leader V. Sivadasan claimed that the economic crisis in the country led to its current situation. “The situation in Bangladesh is basically a result of the economic crisis. Unemployment is rising and students are struggling for jobs. However, the government has not given jobs to the youngsters. Also, the authoritarian style of functioning of the government was another reason,” he said.

PTI

NSA Ajit Doval leaves for Hindon airbase for talks with Sheikh Hasina whose plane has landed there. Western Air Command Chief PM Sinha is also present there, sources told The Hindu.

Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi spoke to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on the developments in Bangladesh.

- Sandeep Phukan

An unruly mob damaged the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC) and the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum located at the Dhanmondi area in the Bangladesh capital, eyewitnesses said.

The protesters set fire to several key locations in Dhaka, including Bangabandhu Bhaban, also known as the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, at Dhanmondi 32, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.

The museum was dedicated to Hasina’s father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who was assassinated while serving as president in 1975. The Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre located in the same area was also damaged by the unruly mob, according to eyewitnesses.

PTI

Indo-Bangladesh trade has ‘halted’ this afternoon amid unrest in the neighbouring country due to large-scale protests that resulted in President Sheikh Hasina resigning on Monday, according to traders.

On Sunday, the Bangladesh government announced a three-day trade holiday, excluding essential services, through a notification.

West Bengal Exporters Coordination Committee secretary Ujjal Saha said that due to lack of clearance from Bangladeshi customs at their land ports, export and import activities were stalled in all land ports.

“There had been some movement in the morning, but later it stopped,” he said. Trade was disrupted following violent protests against the Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh in the last two days.

PTI

Bangladesh army chief Waker-Uz-Zaman spent nearly four decades rising to the top of the military and said he was “taking full responsibility” after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted and fled.

Bedecked with medal ribbons on his green fatigues and wearing a four-star general’s cap, Mr. Waker said 76-year-old Ms. Hasina had quit and that the army would “form an interim government”.

“I give you my word that all the injustices will be addressed,” the career infantry officer said in a broadcast to the nation on state television, although it was not immediately clear if he would head the new government.

“The country has suffered a lot, the economy has been hit, many people have been killed -- it is time to stop the violence.” The mild-looking, bespectacled officer was appointed as chief of army staff, the military’s top job, only in June. Hasina had trusted him because he was a distant relative. The experienced soldier has served as a U.N. peacekeeper as well as in Ms. Hasina’s office.

AFP

The services of Kolkata-Dhaka-Kolkata Maitree Express will remain cancelled on Tuesday, the Eastern Railway said, citing a message from the authorities concerned in Bangladesh.

The services of Maitree Express, which has not been operational since July 19, will remain suspended on August 6, the ER said in a statement.

The Bangladesh Air Force C-130 transport with former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina landed at Hindon Air Force station a while back, sources told The Hindu.

- Dinakar Peri

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appealed to the people of the State to maintain peace and avoid provocation. Declining to comment on developments in Bangladesh, the Chief Minister said it is a matter for the Ministry of External Affairs to respond.

“I would appeal to all citizens of West Bengal to maintain peace and avoid all forms of provocation,” Ms. Banerjee told reporters at the West Bengal Assembly. “Whatever decision the Centre takes on this issue, we will abide by it,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina has requested asylum from the U.K. Her sister Rehana, who holds U.K. citizenship already, is accompanying her, sources informed The Hindu.

- Suhasini Haidar

Students Against Discrimination, the student body leading the anti-government protests against Hasina government, has issued a statement just after Bangladesh Army chief announced a take over by military. Nahid Islam, coordinator of this student group has said in a statement that they demand not just the resignation of Hasina, rather they aim for an end to the fascist rule and look towards a democratic political environment in Bangladesh. 

They have said that students and citizens need to be consulted with during the power take over. They won’t leave the streets otherwise.

Political parties need to establish democracy and secularism, says author Taslima Nasreen. She says Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is responsible for her own downfall.

After numerous speculation of PM Hasina’s arrival in Tripura’s Agartala and Bangladesh aircraft carrying her within Indian air space, now PTI reports that Sheikh Hasina is leaving for London.

Due to the mounting pressure due to the countrywide protest against her government, she resigned on August 5 and left the country with her sister.

The Delhi Police has beefed up security at the Bangladesh High Commission in Chanakyapuri here in the wake of developments in the neighbouring country. 

“More barricades have been placed outside the commission and the number of police personnel deployed there has been increased,” a Delhi Police officer said.

The last time a military-installed government ruled Bangladesh for two years since 2007. 

The military declared an emergency in January 2007 after widespread political unrest. 

It was Sheikh Hasina who had formed the government in 2009. 

With the rising speculation of PM Hasina coming to India and Indian Border Security Force(BSF) issuing high alert along India-Bangladesh border, now Indian railway suspends all train services with Bangladesh.

Protests just now attacked the house of Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal in Dhaka.They also set fire to the party office of Awami League in Dhanmandi, reports Rabiul Alam from Dhaka. 

Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Suvendu Adhikari told journalists that if the situation in Bangladesh doesn’t improve, then there will be a fresh wave of influx of ‘Hindu refugees”.

Trinamool Congress stand on Bangladesh issue:

“India and Bangladesh share very cordial ties for a long time. As far as Bengal is concerned, we share a lot of things in common from our art, culture, and language. What is happening in Bangladesh is a very sensitive situation and we all are praying for peace and normalcy to be restored in our neighbouring country.”

“Since this is an international matter, it’s the Govt of India/ MEA that is the appropriate authority to make the first comment in connection with the developments and we (Bengal) would do anything that would be best in the interest of our country first and to keep peaceful ties with its neighbours.”

With media reports saying Sheikh Hasina has landed in Tripura in India, the State’s Home Secretary P.K. Chakravarty told PTI “we have no such information.”

A former tough opposition leader who fought Ershad’s military regime in the 1980s, the Awami League chief who won another five years to rule is facing the wrath of protesters. 

Here is her profile written by Kallol Bhattacherjee : 

As protests in Bangladesh intensify and the Prime Minister flees the country, we take a look at the quota which sparked the now widespread conflagaration.

In the wake of political developments in Bangladesh, alert sounded along the 4096 km border with India, said a Border Security Force official.

DG BSF Daljit Singh Chawdhary rushes to Kolkata to take stock of the situation - Vijaita Singh

Trust the army, says Army chief Waker-Uz-Zaman. He says those behind the murders will be brought to justice. 

Gen. Zaman also says he has spoken to various political leaders including BNP, Jatiya Party and Jamaat-e-Islami.

Bangladesh’s army chief Waker-Uz-Zaman making a rare television appearance. He says the Army will form an interim government. 

Protesters have entered palace of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka after she left the country- AFP

Amid talks between Bangladesh Army chief and other political stakeholders Bangladesh PM has left the country.

Six more protesters got killed in police firing as they were marching to Dhaka. Bangladesh government already has imposed countrywide curfew and internet shutdown 

August 4, saw the deadliest Sunday as 91 people got killed on a single day taking the toll to 300 during this recent anti-government protest.

Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has left the capital Dhaka in the face of mass protests demanding her resignation, a source close to the embattled leader told AFP on Monday.

“She and her sister have left Ganabhaban (the premier’s official residence) for a safer place,” the source told AFP. “She wanted to record a speech. But she could not get an opportunity to do that.” - AFP

Protesters clash with members of Chhatra League, student wing of Bangladesh Awami League, and with police at Narayanganj’s Chashara, Bangladesh daily Prothom Alo reports. 

As many as 20 people are wounded when police fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowd. Students have occupied important highways at Tangail and Dhaka. A group of protesters are marching from Uttara to Banani. Prothom Alo reports they are approaching towards Dhaka in several small groups. 

Common people have joined the “Long March to Dhaka” apart from students and teachers to demand resignation of PM Hasina. 

Bangladesh’s army chief Waker-Uz-Zaman will address the country for the first time since the beginning of deadliest anti-government protest that saw the death of more than 300 Bangladeshi citizens.

“General Waker will address the people at 2:00 pm,” said Rashedul Alam, an official of the Inter Service Public Relations, the official spokesman of the military.- Reuters

With the death toll rising in Bangladesh and protesters demanding resignation of PM Hasina, government declares three days holiday starting from August 5. Garments industry also closed their operations. Bangladesh Army is patrolling the streets and urged everyone to obey curfew rules. 

After anti-government protesters called for the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and called for a march to Dhaka on August 5, government has ordered a complete internet shutdown today. The military already imposed curfew and mobile internet connections are cut off for indefinite period to stop the spread of information.- PTI

Bengali daily Prothom Alo reports that police has fired tear gas shells and sound grenade to disperse a group of protesters gathered at Shaheed Minar (a national monument) in Dhaka around 10 a.m. In Dhaka’s Jatrabari Thana area too people have come to the streets in high numbers and heavy police presence is also there to stop them from marching further.

A new report based on data given by police officials, doctors shows that the total death toll in Bangladesh till August 4 stands at 300. August 4 saw the most deadliest attack since the beginning of this protest as nearly 94 people got killed at various demonstrations sites. - AFP

Bangladesh braced for another tense day as protestors asked the general public to join a “Long March to Dhaka” on Monday, a day after nearly 100 people died in fierce clashes between demonstrators demanding Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation and the ruling party supporters in different parts of the country. - PTI

Protesting students in Bangladesh have called for a march to the capital Dhaka on August 5 in defiance of a nationwide curfew to press Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign, a day after deadly clashes in the South Asian country killed nearly 100 people.

Sunday’s death toll, which included at least 13 policemen, was the highest for a single day from any protests in Bangladesh’s recent history, surpassing the 67 deaths reported on July 19 when students took to the streets against the quotas. - Reuters

The United Nations’ human rights chief Volker Turk said on Sunday the “shocking violence” in Bangladesh must end, as he urged the government to stop targeting peaceful protesters.

Hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshi protesters demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina clashed with government supporters Sunday, with scores killed in one of the deadliest days since demonstrations began.

“The shocking violence in Bangladesh must stop,” Mr. Turk said in a statement. 

- AFP

Demonstrators are demanding Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation following protests last month that began with students calling for an end to a quota system for government jobs. Those demonstrations escalated into violence that left more than 200 dead.

As the renewed violence raged, Ms. Hasina said the protesters who engaged in “sabotage” and destruction were no longer students but criminals, and she said the people should deal with them with iron hands.

The India High Commission in Dhaka and the Assistant High Commissions in Chittagong, Rajshahi, Sylhet and Khulna are taking efforts for the safer return of Indian nationals, following the recent violent protests in Bangladesh.

As of now, a total of 778 Indian students have returned to India through various land ports. In addition, around 200 students have returned home by regular flight services through Dhaka and Chittagong airports.

A report from the vpnMentor research team has found that demand for VPNs in Bangladesh shot up by 5016% in the past week amidst a five-day internet shutdown that was imposed after violent protests over the employment quota. The study showed that starting July 22, the demand for VPNs increased dramatically, peaking on July 25 three days later.

The numbers started falling on July 25 after internet services were restored but still showed an increase by 2500% until July 29.

VPNs help people bypass firewalls by masking their IP addresses and routing the internet connection through servers in other countries to access websites that would have been restricted during the ban.

The protesters chanted anti-government slogans, such as “Justice, Justice, We want justice” and “Resignation, resignation, Sheikh Hasina’s resignation,” as the wave of protest widened beyond students. Elsewhere in Dhaka, hundreds of others including students, parents, doctors and teachers rallied. 

As protests continued to spread, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 3 offered to talk with student leaders, but a coordinator refused in a Facebook post.

Nahid Islam, a leading protest coordinator, wrote: “One cannot ask a killer government for justice or sit for talks with them. The time to ask forgiveness has passed. When there was still time, the government conducted block raids to arrest and torture students.”

Bangladesh is reeling from days of violence as protestors took to the streets, attacked government buildings and vehicles to demonstrate against the quota system, and the Hasina government ordered a crackdown with army and paramilitary forces who were given shoot at sight orders. 

Speaking to The Hindu from Paris in this exclusive interview, Nobel Laureate and Grameen Bank Founder Professor Muhammad Yunus appealed for the international community, particularly India, to reach out to PM Hasina to call for calm.

Mr. Yunus, a political rival of Ms. Hasina himself faces many cases of misappropriation and labour law violations that he says are politically motivated. He says another election may be warranted for the restoration of democracy in the country.

The country’s leading Bengali-language daily newspaper, Prothom Alo, said at least 95 people, including at least 14 police officers, died in the violence. The Channel 24 news outlet reported at least 85 deaths.

The military announced that a new curfew was in effect on August 4 evening for an indefinite period, including in the capital, Dhaka, and other divisional and district headquarters. The government had earlier imposed a curfew with some exceptions in Dhaka and elsewhere.

Nearly 100 people, including 14 policemen, were killed and hundreds injured on August 4 in fierce clashes between protesters demanding Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation and the ruling party supporters in different parts of Bangladesh, forcing authorities to cut off mobile internet and enforce a nationwide curfew for an indefinite period.

The clashes broke out Sunday morning when protesters attending the non-cooperation programme under the banner of the Students Against Discrimination with the one-point demand of the government’s resignation over a job quota system faced opposition from the supporters of the Awami League, Chhatra League, and Jubo League activists.