Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Aug 5: India suspended its train and flight services to Bangladesh on Monday as the south Asian nation plunged into a deep political crisis following the resignation by the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the aftermath of a bloody protests against her government that left more than 300 people killed and hundreds of others injured.
Her resignation and fleeing from the country and the announcement by the army chief to take initiative to form an interim government brought a turbulent end to the past few days’ raging protests that took the country by storm the ripples of which were also felt in India.
IndiGo and Air India on Monday cancelled their flights from India to Bangladesh capital Dhaka due to the unrest. IndiGo has cancelled its flight from Dhaka to India for Tuesday. All the flights are operating on Monday.
Air India too cancelled its flights to Dhaka “with immediate effect.” In a post on social platform X, the airline stated, “In view of the emerging situation in Bangladesh, we have cancelled the scheduled operation of our flights to and from Dhaka with immediate effect.”
“We are continuously monitoring the situation and are extending support to our passengers with confirmed bookings for travel to and from Dhaka with a one-time waiver on rescheduling and cancellation charges. Safety of our guests and crew remains our foremost priority,” Air India added.
Mitali Express train service, which runs between Kolkata and Dhaka five days a week and had been stopped since the past 15 days, will remain cancelled. Similarly, Bandhan Express running between Kolkata and Khulna two days a week will remain suspended indefinitely.
Protests in Bangladesh that began as student-led demonstrations against government hiring rules in July left at least 300 people killed in more than a month of deadly protests ending the rule of 76-year-old Sheikh Hasina.
Jubilant crowds had waved flags, some dancing on top of a tank in the streets on Monday morning before hundreds broke through the gates of Hasina’s official residence. Bangladesh’s Channel 24 broadcast images of crowds running into the compound, waving to the camera as they celebrated, looting furniture and books, with others relaxing on beds. Others smashed a statue of Hasina’s father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country’s independence hero.
Security forces had supported Hasina’s government throughout the unrest, which began last month against civil service job quotas then escalated into wider calls for her to stand down. At least 94 people were killed on Sunday, including 14 police officers, the deadliest day of the unrest.
Bangladesh’s army chief Waqar-Uz-Zaman said Monday he would “form an interim government” after the prime minister resigned and fled the capital in the face of overwhelming protests. “I am taking full responsibility,” the general said, dressed in military fatigues and cap, although it was not immediately clear if he would head a caretaker government.
“We will form an interim government,” Waqar said in a broadcast to the nation on state television, adding that Sheikh Hasina had resigned. “The country has suffered a lot, the economy has been hit, many people have been killed — it is time to stop the violence,” he added.
After fleeing the country, Sheikh Hasina landed at Ghaziabad’s Hindon Air Base in a C-130 transport aircraft. The aircraft was parked near the Indian Air Force’s C-17 and C-130J Super Hercules aircraft hangars. Her aircraft’s movement was monitored by Indian Air Force and security agencies from its entry into Indian airspace to Hindon airbase.
