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2 Bangladeshi diplomats relieved of duties amid uncertainty over Sheikh Hasina
Both Mahmud and Sen were asked to give up their posts before their contract ended.
Two diplomats serving in Bangladesh's Indian High Commission have been relieved from their duties. The action was taken at the insistence of the beleaguered country's interim government.
Those who have been removed are – Shaban Mahmud, First Secretary (Press) and Ranjan Sen, also First Secretary (Press).
The order came into effect on August 17, reported India Today.
Both Mahmud and Sen were asked to give up their posts before their contracts ended.
Earlier this month, Sheikh Hasina had been ousted by violent mobs who threatened her security. The incident came after weeks-long violent protests against quotas in government jobs.
She scampered to New Delhi in a military chopper as she feared for her life.
After she left, angry mobs attacked her official residence and looted her belongings.
Also read: Clock ticking on Sheikh Hasina's India stay after Bangladesh revokes her diplomatic passport?
Sheikh Hasina was reportedly seeking asylum in Europe. However, several administrations reportedly denied her immunity from legal action. Her son, however, denied the reports.
Amid violence and uncertainty in Dhaka, New Delhi pulled out "non-essential" staff and the families of diplomats from the country.
Earlier this month, the Bangladesh interim government revoked Sheikh Hasina's diplomatic passport.
The security services division of the country's home affairs ministry announced that the diplomatic passport of Sheikh Hasina, her advisors, ex-cabinet members, and all members of the recently dissolved 12th Jatiya Sangsad (Parliament), along with their spouses, would be revoked with immediate effect.
Sheikh Hasina is currently in a safe house in India. However, her future is uncertain.
Sheikh Hasina, according to government sources, holds no other passport besides the now-revoked diplomatic one, reported The Daily Star newspaper.
Under Indian visa policy, Bangladeshi citizens holding diplomatic or official passports are eligible for visa-free entry and can stay in the country for up to 45 days. As of Saturday, Hasina has already spent 20 days in India, with the clock ticking on her legal stay.
