Hasina's travel plans hit roadblock, may be in India for couple of days

New Delhi: Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina's travel plans have hit a roadblock due to certain "uncertainties" and she is unlikely to move out of India for the next couple of days, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

Hasina, who landed at the Hindon airbase on Monday hours after resigning as prime minister, was shifted to an unspecified location that has been put under tight security, they said. She was set to travel to London from India but is now contemplating other options after the British government indicated she may not get legal protection in the UK against any possible investigation, they said.

The Awami League leader had planned to travel to London through India and her aides informed Indian authorities about it before she landed in Hindon, the people cited above said.

In a statement, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in London on Monday that Bangladesh has seen unprecedented levels of violence and tragic loss of life in the last few weeks and people of the country "deserve a full and independent UN-led investigation into the events".

While saying that Hasina's travel plans have hit certain issues and she may stay in the country for the next couple of days, the people in the know also described the situation as dynamic with no definitive path or clarity on the matter.

Hasina, 76, who ruled the South Asian with an iron fist for 15 years, resigned as the prime minister following massive protests that initially began as an agitation against a job quota scheme but weeks later morphed into a mass movement demanding her ouster from power.

The controversial quota system provided for 30 per cent reservations in civil services jobs for the families of veterans who fought the 1971 liberation war.

Hasina's Awami League retained power in the parliamentary election in January that was boycotted by the opposition parties. Hasina, accompanied by her sister Sheikh Rehana, had left her official residence 'Ganabhavan' in a military chopper to an airbase, the sources said. From the airbase, she flew into Hindon in a C-130 military transport aircraft of the Bangladesh Air Force, they said.

S Jaishankar statement in Parliament

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday told an all-party meeting that India has assured help to former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who arrived here on Monday evening, and given her time to decide the future course of action, sources said.

Briefing political party leaders in Parliament House, Jaishankar said India has spoken to the Bangladesh Army Chief to ensure the safety of over 10,000 Indian students in that country, the sources said. Replying to questions from various leaders, including Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, the minister did not rule out the role of foreign governments in the unrest in the country but emphasised that the situation was too fluid, and the government has been keeping a watch on the evolving situation, they said.

At the meeting, Gandhi asked if foreign governments might be involved in fueling the crisis there. Jaishankar said that households and properties belonging to minorities were targeted by protestors in the neighboring country.

Noting that it has been not even 24 hours since Hasina arrived in India, he said she is in a state of shock and the government is giving her time to recover before it speaks to her over various issues, including her future plans, the sources said. Various leaders, including Gandhi, conveyed their full cooperation to the government on the issue.

YSR Congress leader V Vijaysai Reddy said his party supports the government in the interest of the country.

"Briefed an All-Party meeting in Parliament today about the ongoing developments in Bangladesh. Appreciate the unanimous support and understanding that was extended," Jaishankar posted on X after the meeting. Congress leader Karti Chidambaram said the government had briefed an all-party meeting on the situation in Bangladesh.

"Congress party is fully with the government as far as national security and national interest are concerned," Chidambaram told PTI. However, he was not present at the meeting.

Bangladesh plunged into uncertainty after extraordinary street protests over job quota forced Hasina to quit and flee. The all-party meeting was attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, DMK leader T R Baalu, NCP leader Supriya Sule among others.

Inputs from PTI