Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina Landed In India At Hindon Airbase In U.P After Fleeing Bangladesh: Expected To Leave For London

NDTV, HT & Agencies, Aug 05, 2024 :  Bangladesh leader Sheikh Hasina landed at the Hindon Air Force base in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad - around 30 km from Delhi - Monday evening. Hours earlier the 76-year-old five-time Prime Minister had resigned from her position after violent protests - over a government jobs quota - killed over 300.

News agency ANI, citing unnamed sources, reported that Sheikh Hasina has landed at Hindon Air Base in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad in a C-130 transport aircraft.

The aircraft will be parked near the Indian Air Force’s C-17 and C-130J Super Hercules aircraft hangars, it added. The aircraft movement was monitored by Indian Air Force and security agencies from its entry into Indian airspace to Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad, the sources said.

Sheikh Hasina is expected to leave, almost immediately, for London, sources told NDTV.

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's 15-year rule ended on Monday, August 5, as she fled weeks of deadly protests and the military announced it would form an interim government. 

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Army, which gave Sheikh Hasina 45 minutes to resign after her government couldn't control the violence, has taken control. In a televised address Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman said the military will form an "interim government" and told protesters to stand down.

Earlier media reports said Sheikh Hasina had flown in a military helicopter with her sister and was headed to India. Some media reports had also claimed Sheikh Hasina had landed in Agartala, the capital of Tripura. 

Why would Sheikh Hasina landed in India?

Over the years, India has been a crucial supporter of Sheikh Hasina, fostering a mutually beneficial relationship between the two countries. Bangladesh shares borders with several northeastern states, many of which have faced militant challenges for decades. A friendly regime in Dhaka has been instrumental in addressing these issues.

During her tenure, Sheikh Hasina reportedly cracked down on anti-India militant groups in Bangladesh, earning goodwill in Delhi, The BBC reported. She also granted India transit rights, facilitating the movement of goods from the Indian mainland to its northeastern states.

Sheikh Hasina, who has maintained close ties with India since her first election in 1996, has consistently defended Dhaka’s strong relationship with Delhi.

During a visit to India in 2022, she reminded the people of Bangladesh how India, along with its government, people, and armed forces, had supported Bangladesh during the 1971 independence war.

However, her close ties with India and India’s support for her have been criticised by opposition parties and activists. They argue that India should support the people of Bangladesh, not a particular party.

The strategic ties between India and Bangladesh have been on the upswing over the past decade. Bangladesh has been one of the main beneficiaries of India’s “Neighbourhood First” policy, especially grants and lines of credit aimed at strengthening energy, financial and physical connectivity.

The achievements in the connectivity sector include the inauguration of the Maitri Setu bridge over the Feni river in Tripura and the launch of the Chilahati-Haldibari rail link.

Bangladesh is India’s largest development partner, with nearly one-fourth of New Delhi’s commitments under lines of credit made to that country. Bangladesh is also India’s biggest trade partner in South Asia and India is the second biggest trade partner of Bangladesh in Asia.

India is Bangladesh’s largest export destination in Asia, with exports worth $2 billion during 2022-23.