Sheikh Hasina moved out of Hindon airbase, uncertainty over London travel plans
Hasina is accompanied by her sister Sheikh Rehana, whose daughter Tulip Siddiq is a Labour Party leader in the UK.
Former Bangladesh premier Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India after resigning, has been moved from Hindon airbase to an unspecified safe location amid uncertainty over her plans to travel to the UK, people familiar with the developments said on Tuesday.
Hasina, 76, and her small entourage flew into Hindon airbase near New Delhi in a Bangladesh Air Force aircraft late on Monday afternoon, hours after she quit following massive protests calling for the ouster of her government. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and senior military officials met Hasina at the airbase shortly after her arrival.
The people cited above said on condition of anonymity that Hasina was moved from Hindon airbase to a safe location under tight security. The people declined to give details for security reasons.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar told Parliament that Hasina had sought approval on Monday to come to India “for the moment”. The people said she is expected to remain in India for some time because of uncertainty over her plan to travel to London, where she has relatives.
Hasina is accompanied by her sister Sheikh Rehana, a British citizen whose daughter Tulip Siddiq is a Labour Party leader in the UK. Siddiq was recently re-elected as an MP and appointed as economic secretary to the treasury and city minister.
The people said Hasina sought certain assurances from UK authorities, such as legal protection in relation to potential investigations into the violent protests since last month that left nearly 400 people dead in Bangladesh.
However, UK foreign secretary David Lammy on Monday called for a UN-led probe into the “unprecedented levels of violence and tragic loss of life” in Bangladesh. “The people of Bangladesh deserve a full and independent UN-led investigation into the events of the past two weeks,” he said in a statement.
The UK’s Immigration Rules have no provision for a person to be allowed to travel to Britain to seek asylum or temporary refuge. It is understood that the British side believes a person needing international protection should claim asylum in the first country they reach since this will be the fastest route to safety.
The people said these developments had cast uncertainty over Hasina’s plans to travel to the UK. They said Hasina’s team is exploring options for seeking asylum in other countries. One of the countries reportedly being looked at is Finland, since the former premier has relatives there too.
Other options being looked at include Russia, Belarus or a West Asian country, the people said.
During an all-party meeting on the situation in Bangladesh on Monday morning, leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi asked whether the government has information on Hasina’s future plans, people familiar with the matter said. Jaishankar, who was among the ministers who briefed the gathering, said the Indian side has spoken to Hasina on her future course of action, but it could not be disclosed at the moment.