Sheikh Hasina, who resigned from Bangladesh Prime Minister post following unprecedented protests against her government, landed at the Hindon airbase on the outskirts of Delhi on Monday. The embattled Bangladesh stalwart arrived in India as part of her plan to travel to London, said the sources.
She flew to India in a C130J military transport aircraft of Bangladesh Air Force which touched down at Hindon in Ghaziabad on Monday evening. It was a highly sensitive flight from Dhaka to Ghaziabad in the wake of threat to her life. According to the sources, Indian security agencies were ready for any contingency as she was headed towards India seeking refuge. During her journey, Indian Air Force (IAF) radars were actively monitoring air space over Bangladesh. The sources said IAF radars detected a low-level flying aircraft around 3 PM coming towards India. Indian authorities allowed Bangladesh Air Force aircraft inside Indian airspace. They were informed about the ouster of Hasina from Bangladesh, the sources added.
Two Rafale jets were in air to counter threat to Hasina
The sources said that to ensure the foolproof safety of Bangladesh leader during her Dhaka to Ghaziabad journey, IAF flew two Rafale fighter aircraft. Two Rafale jets - from the 101 squadron from Hashimara air base in West Bengal - were airborne over Bihar and Jharkhand as part of preventive measures. Deferent security agencies from the ground were closely monitoring C130J's flight path. They were actively communicating with C130J pilots and Bangladesh officials responsible for her security.
The sources said during Hasina's flight the IAF and Army chiefs - Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari and Gen Upendra Dwivedi were monitoring the situation very closely. Later, a high-level meeting was held involving intel agency chiefs, Gen Dwivedi and Integrated Defence Staff chief Lt Gen Johnson Philip Mathew, said the sources.
When her flight touched down at Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, accompanied by senior officials, received Hasina.
It was learnt that Hasina had been moved to a safe location after a meeting with Indian officials. Media reports suggest that she may moved to UK. But, the plan appeared uncertain on Monday night after British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in London that the people of Bangladesh "deserve a full and independent UN-led investigation into the events of the past few weeks".
(With ANI inputs)
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