Only essential personnel will stay to assist citizens remaining in the country amid political turmoil
New Delhi has evacuated all non-essential staff and their families from its embassy and consulates in Bangladesh, The Tribune reported on Wednesday, citing government sources who were not named. This comes in response to violent protests in Bangladesh, which have forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee the country.
However, the diplomats are staying in Bangladesh and the missions are functional. Apart from its embassy in the capital Dhaka, New Delhi also maintains assistant high commissions or consulates in Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna and Sylhet.
Around 19,000 Indians live in Bangladesh, of which about 9,000 are students, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said in parliament on Wednesday. However, most of the students returned to India when the violence initially flared up.
Meanwhile, India’s Border Security Force (BSF) has heightened security measures along the Indo-Bangladesh border, Indian media reported.
After stepping down as prime minister on Monday, Hasina made a special request to the Indian government to allow her to stay in New Delhi. She landed at Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad, a city close to the capital, and was escorted to a safe house.
A report in The Financial Express has identified the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Russia as places where Hasina might seek asylum. While she initially sought to stay in the UK, reports suggest that her request is unlikely to be granted.
The US has reportedly revoked Hasina’s visa, ruling out the possibility of her being granted asylum there, News 18 media reported, citing sources close to the opposition in Bangladesh. Relations between Bangladesh and the US have been strained in recent months, with the Biden administration calling the country’s last general elections “unfair and not free.”
Bangladesh is reportedly set to have an interim government with Muhammad Yunus, known for his banking initiatives for the poor, selected as the adviser. Yunus, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, has been charged by the Hasina government in almost 200 cases, according to reports.
