EAM briefs PM on crisis at CCS meeting
IANS/AGENCIES
Dhaka, Aug 05: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country on Monday after hundreds of people were killed in a crackdown on demonstrations that began as protests against job quotas and swelled into a movement demanding her downfall.
Jubilant crowds stormed into the opulent grounds of the presidential residence unopposed, carrying out looted furniture and TVs. One man balanced a red velvet, gilt-edged chair on his head. Another held an armful of vases.
Elsewhere in Dhaka, protesters climbed atop a statue of Hasina’s father, state founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and began chiselling away at the head with an axe.
The flight into exile ended a 15-year second stint in power for Hasina, who has ruled for 20 of the last 30 years as leader of the political movement inherited from her father, assassinated with most of his family in a 1975 coup.
Hasina had left the country for her own safety at the insistence of her family, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy told the BBC World Service.
Hasina was “so disappointed that after all her hard work, for a minority to rise up against her”, Joy said.
She would not attempt to mount a political comeback, he said.
Earlier, army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman announced Hasina’s resignation in a televised address to the nation and said an interim government would be formed.
He said he had held talks with leaders of major political parties – excluding Hasina’s long-ruling Awami League – and would soon meet President Mohammed Shahabuddin to discuss the way ahead.
EAM Jaishankar briefs PM Modi on Bangladesh crisis at high-stakes CCS meeting
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday convened a critical meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg in response to the unrest in Bangladesh.
The meeting was attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar, Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval.
Sources indicate that EAM Jaishankar provided a comprehensive briefing to PM Modi and the CCS members regarding the situation in Bangladesh and its potential impact on India.
Prior to the CCS meeting, PM Modi had separately discussed the political and social crisis in Bangladesh with the EAM
The EAM detailed the current developments in Dhaka and their possible implications, sources told IANS.
NSA Doval briefed the Prime Minister on the security implications of the situation, sources said.
Following her resignation as Prime Minister of Bangladesh amid significant unrest in Dhaka, Sheikh Hasina arrived in India. She was transported by a Bangladesh Air Force military plane and landed at the Hindon Air Force base in Ghaziabad, roughly 30 km from Delhi. Upon arrival, Hasina was greeted by the NSA.
Earlier, thousands of protesters had stormed and vandalised ‘Ganabhaban,’ the official residence of the Prime Minister in Dhaka.
Reports suggest that Hasina is expected to travel to London soon.
In response to these developments, a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) was chaired by PM Modi, where the situation was extensively discussed.
There is currently no confirmation on whether PM Modi will meet with Hasina.
External Affairs Minister Jaishankar is anticipated to address Parliament on Tuesday regarding the situation in Bangladesh.
On Monday, Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, met with Jaishankar to discuss the developments. Gandhi inquired about Hasina’s arrival, to which Jaishankar responded that the Indian government is closely monitoring the situation and will provide official details at an appropriate time, Congress sources told IANS.
The unrest in Bangladesh reached a peak on Sunday, with at least 94 people killed, including 14 police officers, marking the deadliest day of the violence. Protesters and government supporters clashed with sticks and knives, while security forces used live fire. This brought the total death toll since protests began in early July to at least 300.
On Monday morning, jubilant crowds waved flags and danced on a tank in the streets, broke into Hasina’s residence, and vandalised a statue of her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the nation’s independence hero.
