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PremiumBangladesh news updates: Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took oath as the head of an interim government on Thursday evening — mere days after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina amid deadly protests.
Meanwhile, Indian remains on alert amid developments in the neighbouring country. "The Bangladeshis had gathered at the border, but none were able to enter India as the border was completely sealed. They were later taken back by the BGB," a BSF official said.
Bangladesh is undergoing an unprecedented crisis as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who had been in power for 15 years, resigned and fled the country amid escalating protests. What began as a demonstration against a jobs quota system has rapidly escalated into a massive upheaval against her and her government. Over the past few tumultuous weeks, more than 300 people have lost their lives.
BNP chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has been released in a significant turn of events. Hasina arrived in India on Monday evening, but her plans regarding whether she will remain in Delhi or relocate elsewhere remain unclear.
Check all the Bangladesh news updates here on LiveMint.
Despite ongoing political turmoil in Bangladesh, trade between India and the neighbouring country through land ports in West Bengal is expected to normalise soon while some movements of goods via one of these facilities were reported on Wednesday, officials said.
A meeting between the land port authorities of the two countries is scheduled on Wednesday at South Asia's largest land port Petrapole in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, which is "expected to provide clarity on transportation of goods", the officials said. (PTI)
Amid the ongoing unrest in Bangladesh, reports have emerged of false narratives being created through social media to fuel anti-India sentiments among the people.
Various X accounts have been found spreading disinformation about India in Bangladesh, aimed at instigating Bangladeshis against Indians.
One account, @IntelPk_, posted on X, "#Breaking: 30 Indian Intelligence Agency RAW Officers in Bangladesh Army Uniform Attempting to Flee, Search for More Continues."
This post was subsequently reposted by numerous other fake X accounts. Another account, @sabriaballand, posted on X, "This point cannot be reiterated enough. RAW agents wear Bangladeshi military & police uniforms & commit atrocities in #Bangladesh." (ANI)
Amid the political unrest in Bangladesh, the Indian High Commission in Bangladesh has said that it continues to remain operational and released helpline numbers for Indian nationals who reside there, ANI reported.
According to sources, the diplomats and officials of the Indian High Commission continue to remain in Bangladesh, while non-essential staff and their families returned on Wednesday morning.
The sources said, "To reiterate all the helplines of HCI Dhaka are working. The helpline numbers are being shared again below for reference: 8801958383679 8801958383680 8801937400591." (ANI)
Pakistan on Wednesday expressed solidarity with the people of Bangladesh and hoped that the country would soon return to normalcy.
A student-led protest movement over quotas in government jobs in Bangladesh forced Sheikh Hasina to resign as prime minister and flee to India.
“The Government and people of Pakistan stand in solidarity with the people of Bangladesh, sincerely hoping for a peaceful and swift return to normalcy," the Foreign Office said in a brief statement in its first reaction to the recent political change in Bangladesh. (PTI)
Invoking the need to make the free trade agreement or FTA a reality amongst the BIMSTEC nations, Union Commerce and Industry Minister, Piyush Goyal stressed the need to review the FTA negotiations on Wednesday in New Delhi.
"I heard somebody say, 22 rounds of negotiations have happened so far, that itself gives us a question mark, whether we need to pause and have a relook at the track we are going down on, " the Union Minister said. (ANI)
On the Bangladesh situation, JMM MP Mahua Maji says, " The violence that happened there is not right, so many people lost their lives, the dictatorship was wrong. We hope that peace prevails there soon because we share border with Bangladesh and if unrest continues there it could affect India as well. Our govt should listen to opposition and have patience, no negative statement should come out at this time..."
Delhi: BJP Rajya Sabha MP Dinesh Sharma says, "Conspiracy in neighbouring states (country) has always been the endeavour of superpowers... Certainly, some power has been behind the coup in Bangladesh as well... India has been concerned about this from the beginning. India has a strong-willed government... It is also India's resolution and stance that we stop the persecution of the Hindu minority there. The government is making efforts for this... Everyone wishes that a solution is found soon."
Delhi: On the political crisis in Bangladesh, Deputy Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi says, "I want the Ministry of External Affairs to remain in constant touch with the leaders of the opposition parties. Keep providing us the information about the steps the Government of India is taking. We are also getting information from various sources. If there is a dialogue between the government and the opposition parties, then we will also be able to convey our information to them."
4 deputy governors of the Bangladesh Central Bank were forced to resign after a protest by hundreds of bank officials, reported Reuters, citing bank sources.
India has evacuated all non-essential staff and their families from its embassy and consulates in neighbouring Bangladesh, two Indian government sources said on Wednesday, after weeks of unrest forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to quit and flee.
All Indian diplomats remain in Bangladesh and the missions are functional, the sources told Reuters. (Reuters)
A top police official in Bangladesh has called on every member of the police force to resume their duties gradually and maintain public safety and law and order amidst reports of attacks on the law enforcement authorities in the violence-hit nation.
Additional Inspector General of Police (AIG) A.K.M. Shahidur Rahman, who was appointed as the focal person of the Bangladesh Police on Tuesday to handle the current crisis, asked his force to ignore rumours.
"The police are friends of the people and work for the public. We cannot imagine a society without the police. Therefore, I request our police members once again to ignore rumours and return to their duties in a phased manner, ensuring that security arrangements are properly in place," he said, emphasising the crucial role of the police in maintaining public safety. (PTI)
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leaders said that Khaleda Zia has been concerned about the nationwide violence, vandalism, and looting of state resources amid the anti-discrimination student protest, Dhaka Tribune reported.
During a meeting with Maulana Mamunul Haque, secretary general of Bangladesh Khilafat Majlis, at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka, she said, "Our state's resources are being wasted. This country is ours; we have to build this country." (ANI)
Bangladesh's protest leaders said they expect members of an interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, to be finalised on Wednesday after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina quit and fled to India following a violent crackdown on a student-led uprising.
Bangladesh's president appointed Yunus as the head of the interim government late on Tuesday, meeting a key demand of students, and said the remaining members need to be finalised soon to overcome the current crisis, according to a statement from his office. (Reuters)
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh: A student from Bangladesh, Vidyut says, "...Violence is spreading very rapidly...I am not able to contact my family as there is no network since the protests started...I am very worried about my family...I am thankful to the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) for supporting us..."
On the situation in Bangladesh, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi says, " Hope stability comes there as soon as possible and peace prevails...during his suo-motu statement, S Jaishankar said that there are 19,000 Indians which includes students. How can they be brought to India or how can a safe environment be created for those people till they return to India? We hope govt will focus on these things"
On Bangladesh situation and AAP's allegation that they were not invited to the all-party meeting, Congress MP K Suresh says, " More than 10,000 (Indian) students are there in Bangladesh. It is our duty to protect our students who are living in Bangladesh...I don't know the details about that (AAP's allegation)
Amid the ongoing political unrest in Bangladesh, Air India operated a special charter flight from Dhaka to Delhi late last night (August 6), as per sources.
The flight arrived in Delhi this morning (August 7) with 199 passengers and 6 infants, as per sources.
"Air India operated a special charter flight at short notice despite infrastructure challenges at Dhaka Airport late last night. It carried 199 pax and 6 infants from Dhaka to Delhi and landed in Delhi early this morning," Air India Sources. (ANI)
The ongoing turmoil in Bangladesh has resulted in a steep decline in the number of people coming for treatment at various hospitals in Kolkata from the neighbouring country, officials said.
The decline has been consistent in the last one month since the unrest took a violent turn, they said.
"More than 180 Bangladeshi patients visit our hospital every day. The number has decreased to 84 today. It was 129 on Monday," Peerless Hospital CEO Sudipta Mitra told PTI. (PTI)
Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi on Tuesday said that in the wake of Bangladesh unrest, the central government should conduct all party meeting regularly to brief about the situation in order to make bordering states' governments aware of the situation.
Speaking with ANI, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi said, "We found a lot of important things in the statement of the External Affairs Minister (EAM). We feel that the statement is very sensitive. An all-party meeting was held today, such meetings should happen again and again so that as the situations change, the leaders of parties are made aware of it so that the Governments at the border (bordering states), be it NDA or any other party, should be alert...If we regulate our work in such a way, then I think that in the time to come, we will be able to control the political ties between India and Bangladesh..."
Israeli Ambassador to India, Naor Gilon raised concerns on the reports of atrocities against minorities including Hindus and their temples in Bangladesh amid intensifying protests and unrest in the country.
"I'm troubled by the reports of atrocities against minorities, including Hindus, and against their temples in Bangaladesh," Gilon said in a post on X.
A special Air India flight brought 205 people, including six infants, from Dhaka to New Delhi on Wednesday morning, an official said.
The chartered flight, which took off for the Bangladesh capital late Tuesday, was operated with an A321 neo aircraft.
The flight brought back 205 people -- 199 adults and six infants -- from Dhaka. Air India operated the flight, which took off from the national capital without any passengers, at a very short notice despite infrastructure challenges at the airport there, said the official in the know of the developments.
Air India will be commencing its scheduled operations -- two daily flights from the national capital -- to Dhaka on Wednesday. (PTI)
At least 24 people, including an Indonesian national, were burnt alive by a mob in Bangladesh at a starred hotel owned by a leader of Awami League party after its leader Sheikh Hasina resigned as prime minister and fled the country, local journalists and hospital sources said on Tuesday.
The victims, mostly boarders, were burnt alive late on Monday night as the mob set afire Zabir International Hotel owned by district Awami League general secretary Shahin Chakkladar in Joshor district.
“The dead included an Indonesian national," a local journalist told PTI in Dhaka over phone. (PTI)
The United States has expressed deep concerns about the continued violence in Bangladesh including attacks on members of religious or political groups, and said it will be vital for the new government to credibly investigate all such instances and provide justice to victims.
"We are deeply concerned about continued reports of violence in Bangladesh – including violence directed at members of religious or political groups. We are equally concerned about reports of violence against police and law enforcement," a State Department spokesperson told PTI on Tuesday. (PTI)
An angry mob set fire to and looted the house of musician Rahul Ananda in Dhaka's Dhanmondi 32 on August 5, as per an NDTV report.
This attack comes amid increasing targeting of minorities and Hindus in the neighbouring country after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government, it added.
Ananda, his wife and son, escaped unharmed, but valuable items were stolen and destroyed, including the artists' extensive collection of more than 3,000 handmade musical instruments, it said.
As the situation in Bangladesh worsened following Sheikh Hasina's resignation amid heavy protests, several former diplomats and experts have raised concerns about the scenario and asked the Indian government to remain vigilant.
Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, who also served as Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, also elaborated on the situation and opined that the possibility of foreign hands behind the unrest can't be ruled out.
"Bangladesh has seen many such crises in the past... It has happened because of many reasons, basically their internal ones. It cannot be ruled out that there are foreign forces in Bangladesh who did not want the Hasina government to continue...Her feelings and agony are understandable," Chakravarty told ANI.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Tuesday on Bangladesh to respect democracy after Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was tapped to lead an interim government following an uprising.
"Any decisions that the interim government makes, they need to respect democratic principles, need to uphold the rule of law, need to reflect the will of the people," Blinken told reporters. (AFP)
Nepali security agencies have heightened vigilance across the border and at the Bangladesh Embassy in Kathmandu following political changes in Dhaka.
The security agencies are on high alert to prevent unauthorized entry from Bangladesh via India, as people may seek refuge. In Kathmandu, security around the Bangladeshi Embassy has been increased to prevent possible protests and gatherings.
"We have increased vigilance around the Bangladesh Embassy in Kathmandu and areas where Bangladeshi nationals in Nepal might gather for any occasion relating to the political change back there. We have an open border with India, and we have coordinated with the SSB, India, and are patrolling jointly alongside the border to prevent illegal entries," DIG Kumar Neupane, Spokesperson of the Armed Police Force (APF), confirmed to ANI over the phone. (ANI)
Daljit Singh Chaudhary, Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF), visited the Integrated Check Post (ICP) Petrapole and the highly sensitive Border Out Post Ranaghat of the 68th Battalion deployed on the Indo-Bangladesh border in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal on Tuesday.
The primary objective of the visit was to assess the tactical and operational preparedness and deployment strategies of the BSF at these crucial locations, according to a press release from the BSF.
Chaudhary was accompanied by Ravi Gandhi, Additional Director General of Eastern Command, and Maninder PS Pawar, Inspector General of the South Bengal Frontier.
As the situation in Bangladesh deteriorates following Sheikh Hasina's resignation, the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President, AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon, has urged India to arrest the former Prime Minister and her sister, Sheikh Rehana, and return them to Bangladesh, as reported by Dhaka Tribune.
At a press conference held at the SCBA auditorium, Khokon stated, "We want to maintain a positive relationship with the people of India. Please arrest Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana, who fled the country, and send them back to Bangladesh."
He also accused Hasina of causing numerous deaths in Bangladesh, adding, "Sheikh Hasina has killed many people in Bangladesh."
