Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened a crucial meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security at his official residence this evening, focusing on the escalating situation in neighbouring Bangladesh. This follows the dramatic exit of Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled the country in the wake of severe protests over job quotas.
Attending the meeting were Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. PM Modi also received a detailed briefing from S Jaishankar regarding the turmoil in Bangladesh. Congress MP and Lok Sabha’s Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi has also been in touch with Jaishankar to discuss the unfolding events.
Sheikh Hasina, who has been in power since 2009, attempted to suppress widespread protests against her government that began in early July. However, the situation escalated dramatically on Sunday, resulting in nearly 100 fatalities in the most intense day of unrest.
In a broadcast, Bangladesh’s Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman announced that Hasina had resigned and that the military would establish a caretaker government. Hasina’s military transport plane, a Bangladesh Air Force C-130, landed at an airbase near Delhi on Monday, where National Security Adviser Ajit Doval met with the former prime minister.
Sources indicate that Hasina is expected to travel to London to seek political asylum. Her son, Sajeeb Wajed Joy, former Chief Advisor and currently based in the US, informed the BBC that Hasina might not return to politics. He cited her disappointment with the strong public opposition despite her efforts to reform the country.
The unrest began over a controversial quota scheme that allocated over half of all government jobs to specific groups. Although the scheme was partially rolled back by Bangladesh’s top court, protests continued to intensify. The violent clashes on Sunday led to at least 94 deaths, bringing the total fatalities since the protests began in early July to around 356, according to AFP.
Bangladesh has a history of political instability, including a significant military-backed caretaker government that was installed during an emergency in January 2007 following widespread political unrest.
