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‘AT SHORT NOTICE’
On Monday, the first day of an indefinite nationwide curfew, Hasina holed up inside Ganabhaban, the heavily fortified complex in the capital Dhaka that also serves as her official residence.
Outside, crowds gathered in the city’s streets. Tens of thousands of people responded to the protest leaders’ call to march to overthrow them and poured into the city center.
The 76-year-old leader decided to flee the country on Monday morning as the situation was spiraling out of control, according to the Indian official and two Bangladeshi nationals aware of the situation.
According to Bangladeshi sources, Hasina discussed the matter with her sister, who lives in London but was in Dhaka at the time, and they flew together. They flew to India in the early afternoon local time.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told Parliament on Tuesday that New Delhi had urged “various political forces that are in touch with us” to resolve the situation through dialogue in July.
But as people gathered in Dhaka on Monday in defiance of a curfew, Hasina decided to resign “after a meeting with the leaders of the security establishment,” he added. “She requested permission to temporarily travel to India.”
Another Indian official said India had conveyed Hasina’s request for temporary stay “diplomatically” because of concerns it would negatively impact India’s relations with the next government in Dhaka. India’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Protesting students hope Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus Leading the interim government After Hasina stepped down, he told The New Indian Express that India had “maintained good relations with the wrong people… Please review your foreign policy.”
Yunus was not immediately available for an interview.
A Bangladesh Air Force C130 transport aircraft landed at Hindon Air Force Base outside Delhi late Monday afternoon with Hasina on board.
There, she was met by India’s powerful National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, according to Indian security officials.
The Indian government fought to separate Bangladesh from East Pakistan in 1971. Hasina took refuge in India for years after her father was assassinated in 1975, and developed deep ties with the neighboring country’s political elite.
Returning to Bangladesh, she came to power in 1996 and was seen as more concerned about India’s security than her political opponents. The Hindu-majority country also saw her secular stance as a boon to Bangladesh’s 13 million Hindus.
But in Bangladesh, even retired soldiers remain resentful that Hasina was allowed to leave.
“I personally don’t think she should have been taken to the hospital safely,” said Khan, a veteran. “That’s just stupid.”
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