Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India on 5 August following mass anti-government protests, has been living in a government-arranged safe house in New Delhi’s Lutyens Bungalow Zone for over two months, according to a report by The Print.

The Indian media reports, citing multiple sources, that the bungalow, similar to those allotted to ministers and senior officials, is secured by a robust plain-clothes security detail. Sheikh Hasina occasionally takes walks at Lodhi Garden, and appropriate security arrangements are in place to ensure her safety.  

Hasina arrived in India via a Bangladesh Air Force aircraft, landing at the Hindon airbase hours after resigning as prime minister amid violent protests in Dhaka that claimed over 400 lives. On her arrival, she was received by India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and senior military officials.  

Due to limited facilities at the airbase, she was moved to a secure residence within two days. “She has been staying in the high-security Lutyens’ Delhi area since then,” a source told *ThePrint*. The government of India has not officially disclosed her location to Bangladesh. However, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar informed Parliament in August that Hasina had sought permission to stay temporarily in India.

Accompanying Hasina on her flight to India was her sister, Sheikh Rehana, a British citizen and mother of Tulip Siddiq, a Labour Party leader in the UK. However, it remains unclear whether Rehana is staying with Hasina at the safe house. Hasina’s daughter, Saima Wazed, who serves as the Regional Director for the South-East Asia Region at the WHO’s Delhi Headquarters, also resides in Delhi.

Adding to Hasina’s woes, the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) last week issued arrest warrants against her, Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader, and 44 others for alleged crimes against humanity during the student protests that precipitated her removal. The tribunal, chaired by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumdar, directed authorities to arrest the accused and present them before the court by 18 November.  

Over 60 complaints of crimes against humanity and genocide have reportedly been lodged with the ICT against Hasina and other senior Awami League leaders. The tribunal’s actions follow petitions filed by the prosecution, escalating legal pressure on Hasina after her ouster from power.  

This latest development adds uncertainty to the political landscape in Bangladesh, as Hasina remains in self-imposed exile while legal proceedings continue.

Source: The Print

BDST: 1848 HRS, OCT 24, 2024
MSK