Roving Periscope: Hasina waits in India; Khaleda freed, as Hindus targeted in a burning Bangladesh

Virendra Pandit

New Delhi: As Bangladesh descended further into unprecedented anarchy, widespread riots, deaths, and destructions, the new military regime released former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, 78, and many activists of Muslim fundamentalist outfit Jamaat-I-Islami from prisons while London declined political asylum to ousted PM Sheikh Hasina Wazed, who is waiting in India to fly out to a safer place.

Meanwhile, India has urged its citizens in the anti-immigration riot-affected UK and turmoil-torn Bangladesh to “exercise due caution.”
Several Hindu temples, households, and businesses were vandalized, women assaulted, and at least two Hindu leaders affiliated with the Awami League party were killed in violence in Bangladesh, the media reported on Tuesday.

“We have compiled some incidents of vandalisms in different parts of the country exposing the Hindu and other minority communities to anxiety,” Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council leader Kajol Debnath was quoted as saying. The two Hindu leaders, affiliated to Hasina’s Awami League (AL) party, were killed in north-western Sirajganj and Rangpur.

A day after Hasina resigned and fled the country following massive protests against her government over quota in government jobs, violence that had started afresh over the weekend, continued overnight and led to over 400 being killed since mid-July.

According to the Council leaders, the districts where religious minorities and their households or businesses were attacked are north-eastern Panchagarh, Dinajpur, Rangpur, Bogura and Sirajganj; northern Sherpur and Kishoreganj; western Jashore, Magura and Narail, south-western Khulna, Patuakhali and Satkhira; central Narsingdi, Mymensingh and Tangail; north-western Lakkhipur, Feni and Chattogram, and north-eastern Habiganj.

“The situation is grave and Hindus are being continuously attacked across Bangladesh,” the Unity Council’s general secretary Rana Dasgupta said in a statement earlier.

“We urge the army to ensure security for the minorities and bring the perpetrators of the attack to book immediately,” he added.
On Monday, an Indian cultural center was vandalized by an unruly mob in Dhaka and four Hindu temples suffered “minor” damages across the country.

The Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre located in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi area was also damaged by the unruly mob. The Centre, set up by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, has a library with over 21,000 books in the fields of Indian art, culture, politics, economics, and fiction.
In India, former PM Hasina waited at a safe house since Monday afternoon until she got asylum abroad.

According to the media reports on Tuesday, quoting the UK Home Office, the British immigration rules do not allow individuals to travel to that country to seek asylum or temporary refuge.

The British government has also called for a United Nations-led probe into the turmoil that saw Sheikh Hasina resign as the Bangladesh prime minister and flee the country on Monday. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy also said that the UK wants to see a “peaceful and democratic future” in Bangladesh

The new UK government, headed by Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer, also said individuals seeking asylum must do so “in the first safe country they reach.”

“The UK has a proud record of protecting people who need it. However, there is no provision for someone to be allowed to travel to the UK to seek asylum or temporary refuge.”

“Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach – that is the fastest route to safety.”
Nevertheless, sources indicate a formal asylum request is being processed.

Sheikh Hasina, 76, was forced to resign as Bangladesh’s Prime Minister on Monday after weeks-long protests over the political fallout after a controversial jobs quota issue claimed nearly 400 lives. She fled Dhaka in a military aircraft, reportedly after the Bangladesh Army gave her a 45-minute ultimatum, and flew down first to an IAF base in Uttar Pradesh.

Upon her arrival, India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met her on Monday. She is reportedly in “protective custody” in India.
She is accompanied by her younger sister, Sheikh Rehana, who is a UK citizen, which could be useful to claim asylum in that country. Also, her niece, Tulip Siddiq, is a British Labour parliamentarian.

Mrs Hasina’s daughter, Saima Wazed, is based in Delhi as the regional chief for the World Health Organization. This, though, may not open doors as she works for an international agency.

This morning Bangladeshi publication Daily Sun cited unconfirmed sources as saying India has granted permission for an “interim stay”, during which Mrs Hasina will get comprehensive logistical support.

This is reportedly only a temporary and pending relocation to Britain.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who met Opposition leaders, spoke of a “conspiracy” to topple Hasina’s government. This was in response to a question by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who asked if there could be an involvement of foreign powers, specifically Pakistan, in the dramatic developments in Dhaka over the past few weeks.

The events in Bangladesh present a problem for India, particularly if the UK turns down Sheikh Hasina’s asylum request. India also does not want to be seen as overtly backing the ousted leader because that may complicate the country’s relationship with the new government in Bangladesh, whatever it may be.

A new “interim government” – to be advised, most likely, by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus – is believed to be taking shape in the crisis-hit country. This follows the release from jail – ordered by President Mohammed Shahabuddin – of former PM Khaleda Zia, who was convicted of corruption and jailed in 2018.