As millions came out on the streets of Dhaka on Monday, the longest-serving Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, facing a tough crisis, submitted her resignation to President Mohammed Shahabuddin and flew to India with her sister Sheikh Rehana. A Bangladesh Air Force transport plane, carrying them, landed at IAF Hindon air base near Delhi, and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval had a one-on-one meeting with Sheikh Hasina. The army transport plane returned to Bangladesh on Tuesday. In Delhi, all major opposition parties extended full support to the Modi government in dealing with the situation evolving in the neighbouring country. There are reports that Sheikh Hasina wanted to leave for London, but UK authorities are yet to decide about granting her political asylum. In Dhaka, thousands of demonstrators ransacked the official residence of the Prime Minister and Parliament, and looted costly items. Bangladesh Army Chief Gen Waqer-uz-Zaman appealed for peace, after holding consultation with political parties and civil society leaders. Police personnel vanished from the streets and there was nightlong arson and ransacking in most of the police stations of Dhaka.
Homes of Awami League leaders in Dhaka and other cities were set on fire. By Monday night, the President announced that the Parliament would be dissolved, and fresh general elections will be held. The President announced that opposition leader Begum Khaleda Zia would be released from jail and an interim government would be set up. Agitating student leaders have demanded that Nobel Prize-winning economist Dr Muhammad Yunus be made the principal adviser while setting up the interim government. Temples and homes of many Hindus were attacked and vandalized in several cities of Bangladesh. The situation has become complicated with the police withdrawing from law and order duties. In Dhaka, thousands of people “celebrated” the downfall of Sheikh Hasina’s government, even as pitched battles were going on outside several police stations. More than 400 people have died in violence during the current turmoil after students took to the cities demanding resignation of Sheikh Hasina. In Dhaka, a large statue of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was demolished with a JCB machine, while Bangabandhu Memorial Museum was set on fire. Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre was also ransacked by demonstrators. The student agitation against “discrimination in jobs” has now gone out of control with anti-social elements resorting to arson and looting. Army, though deployed in the capital and district headquarters, is yet to take any major action against the arsonists. India’s former foreign secretary Harshvardhan Shringla, who had earlier worked as High Commissioner in Dhaka, said that the hand of some foreign powers behind the agitation could not be ruled out. He said, the agitation was being openly supported by Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami.
Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari warned that nearly one crore Hindus living in Bangladesh could be forced to cross the border into India if violence against minorities continues. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appealed to all parties not to create tension by making inciting remarks. Banerjee said, the state government will follow the Centre’s directives while keeping a close watch on the evolving situation in Bangladesh. I think, Mamata Banerjee is right. The issue is quite sensitive. Hindus in Bangladesh are at risk, and it is for the Centre to decide about the future course of action. On Monday night, the Cabinet Committee on Security met in Delhi under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the situation. The Director General of Border Security Force on Tuesday visited border check posts in West Bengal. A general alert has been sounded on India-Bangladesh border. There is not an iota of doubt that the political crisis in Bangladesh is going to have its repercussions in India too. Bangladesh was part of undivided India before Partition and there are several lakhs Hindu families who have relatives living across the border. India is the largest trading partner of Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina was always viewed as a true friend of India, and her party, Awami League, was considered liberal. Opposition parties like BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, which are out on the streets, have been following anti-India line since several decades. The Indian government is trying to secure the safe passage of several thousand Indian students presently living in Bangladesh. The Centre will have to take a careful and balanced path. The issue is: Why was Sheikh Hasina forced to resign and flee from her country? On the face of it, one can say that the situation had deteriorated due to the ongoing student agitation on the job reservation “quota” issue, and Hasina’s government failed to tackle the situation deftly. But the story behind this agitation is quite different.
Islamic fundamentalist forces like Jamaat-e-Islami have put their might behind this student agitation. They want to introduce Islamic laws in Bangladesh, and Sheikh Hasina was the biggest obstacle in their path. Sheikh Hasina took action against Jamaat-e-Islami and banned the party. The Jamaat activated its students’ wing Islamic Chhatra Shibir to go to the streets. Many of these student outfits get funds from Pakistan’s spy agency ISI. Sheikh Hasina tried to put the Islamic fundamentalists on leash, and this was the reason why her government had to face a terrible backlash from Islamic forces. But there is a large section of people in Bangladesh which supports Sheikh Hasina, her father Late Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Awami League. Hasina’s party remained silent when these Islamic forces went on rampage. Hindus living in Bangladesh now face an uncertain future as incidents of attacks and arson continue. The Indian government is worried about the safety of Hindus, and the government is taking steps with utmost care and consideration.
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