Sudden escalation, losing grip caught Sheikh Hasina off-guard

The quick escalation of events in Bangladesh took Sheikh Hasina by surprise, and the former prime minister appeared to be in a state of shock when her C130J aircraft landed in Hindon airbase on the outskirts of Delhi, according to people aware of the matter.

Though the Indian establishment was anticipating for the last few days that the situation in Bangladesh may become untenable for Hasina, the speed at which events moved meant that a series of measures had to be put in place on Monday morning.

To this end, external affairs minister S Jaishankar and national security adviser Ajit Doval held a series of meetings with top military commanders, including army chief General Upendra Dwivedi and air force chief VR Chaudhuri. Hasina, who was met by Doval at Hindon on Monday evening, was at the airbase till late at night and is likely to stay there until she leaves the country, the people indicated.

Bangladesh unrest: Protesters take away Dior bag, saree from ex-PM Sheikh Hasina's official residence; eat biryani

Hasina has travelled to India with her sister Sheikh Rehana, and the two are likely to travel to the UK. They could also go to a Scandinavian country, or a Gulf country. There is also a possibility that Rehana may leave first, and Hasina may follow a day or two later, the people said.

An assessment by Indian security officials suggests the main protagonist of the uprising in Bangladesh was army chief Waker-uz-Zaman, who is seen as close to China. Though he was appointed by Hasina on June 23, and is related to her, some Bangladeshi officials had indicated to India at the time that naming him as the army chief may be a mistake.

Zaman said on Monday that efforts had started to set up an interim government, but the fact that the new establishment ordered the release of Hasina’s political rival Khaleda Zia as one of its first decisions suggests that the military is making peace with the Jamaat, the people said. They added that this was not good news for India because it could lead to an escalation in tensions along the eastern frontier.

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