On a Monday afternoon, a former leader who had just been forced from power by weeks of street protest crossed a border she had once helped keep calm, carried on a neighbouring nation's military transport and watched by the air forces of the country she was entering. Sheikh Hasina, five times prime minister of Bangladesh, came to rest in India at a quiet airbase outside Delhi, and the question of where a fallen ruler can find shelter now hangs over her, as it has over many before her. It is a reminder that power, once lost, often becomes a matter of geography and of which neighbours are willing
How Indian Agencies Shielded Sheikh Hasina During Her Flight from Dhaka to Ghaziabad
Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to resign and flee her country amid widespread protests, seeking safety in India.
She did not want to leave, but it was not safe to stay.
Mark
Start with the flight itself. Why does it matter that India tracked it so closely?
Mimi
Because she was a head of government who had just been forced out, and her plane was crossing into another country. Radars picked it up low around 3 pm, and air defence let it in knowing who was aboard. Two Rafales were in the air over Bihar and Jharkhand as it approached Hindon.
Luke
Worth noting that all of that comes from unnamed sources speaking to ANI. It's plausible and detailed, but we don't have an official statement confirming the Rafale deployment or the radar timeline.
Mark
And the meeting with Ajit Doval?
Mimi
He met her at the airbase after she landed around 5:45 pm, spoke with her for an hour, then left to brief the Cabinet Committee on Security under Modi. It shows how high this went.
Luke
We know the length and the briefing, but not what was said. Nothing here tells us what India promised or what Hasina asked for.
Mark
What about where she goes next?
Mimi
London is the expectation, with a niece who is an MP and a sister who is a British citizen. Asylum in the UK is floated.
Luke
Floated is the right word. The report says it is expected and potentially asylum, while a family-linked Awami League figure says she isn't going to London for now and that a decision comes in a few days. That's unresolved.
Mark
And her own wishes?
Mimi
Her son Sajeeb Wajed Joy told NDTV she didn't want to leave but it wasn't safe to stay.
Luke
That's a family member's account, so it's one perspective, not independent confirmation of her state of mind.
Il Polso
- Radar operators tracked a low-flying Bangladeshi military plane toward Indian airspace, knowing its passenger was a deposed prime minister.
- Two Rafale fighters were scrambled over Bihar and Jharkhand to shadow the aircraft as it made its way toward Ghaziabad.
- National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met her on the tarmac at Hindon for an hour before rushing to brief the Cabinet Committee on Security.
- Her destination remains unsettled, with London possible but unlikely for now, while she waits in a safe house in India.
On a Monday afternoon, a former leader who had just been forced from power by weeks of street protest crossed a border she had once helped keep calm, carried on a neighbouring nation's military transport and watched by the air forces of the country she was entering. Sheikh Hasina, five times prime minister of Bangladesh, came to rest in India at a quiet airbase outside Delhi, and the question of where a fallen ruler can find shelter now hangs over her, as it has over many before her. It is a reminder that power, once lost, often becomes a matter of geography and of which neighbours are willing to receive a person whose future no one can yet predict.
At around three on Monday afternoon, Indian Air Force radars picked up an aircraft flying low toward the border. It was a Bangladesh Air Force C-130J, and it was allowed to enter Indian airspace because the air defence crews knew who was on board: Sheikh Hasina, who had just resigned as prime minister after weeks of widespread protest against her.
Indian security agencies followed the flight closely, worried about the threat to her life. Two Rafale fighters from the 101 squadron were sent aloft over Bihar and Jharkhand to escort the plane toward Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad. Agencies stayed in contact with the pilots and with Bangladeshi officials responsible for her protection, and the country's top military leaders were reported to be watching every development.
The aircraft landed at about a quarter to six. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was there to meet her and spoke with her for an hour before leaving to brief the Cabinet Committee on Security under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Her next step is still unclear. Many expected her to travel to London, where her niece Tulip Siddiq sits in the House of Commons and her sister Sheikh Rehana holds British citizenship. But a UK Awami League figure close to the family said a decision would take several days and that she would not be coming to London for now.
Her son, Sajeeb Wajed Joy, said his mother never wanted to leave Bangladesh, but staying had become unsafe. For now, the transport plane that brought her sits near the hangars, and Hasina herself is in a safe house in India, waiting to learn how long she will stay and which country, if any, will take her next.
At around 3 pm on Monday, radars of the Indian Air Force picked up an aircraft flying low and heading toward India. It was a Bangladesh Air Force C-130J transport, and it was allowed to continue into Indian airspace because air defence personnel knew who was on board: Sheikh Hasina, who had just resigned as Bangladesh's prime minister after widespread protests against her.
The account comes from sources speaking to the news agency ANI, and it describes a flight that Indian security agencies watched closely throughout. Because of the perceived threat to her life, the aircraft was monitored constantly. Two Rafale fighters from the 101 squadron, based at Hashimara air base in West Bengal, were put in the air over Bihar and Jharkhand as her plane moved toward the Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad. Indian agencies were also in active contact with the C-130J's pilots and with the Bangladeshi officials responsible for her security.
At the top of the Indian services, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari and Army chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi were said to be following the situation very closely.
Hasina's aircraft landed at Hindon at about 5:45 pm. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was there to receive her and held a meeting with her that lasted an hour. He then left the airbase to brief a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Where she goes next is not settled. It is expected that Hasina, a five-time prime minister, will travel to London and may seek asylum in the United Kingdom. The family connections are there: her niece, Tulip Siddiq, sits in the House of Commons, and her sister, Sheikh Rehana, is a British citizen. But Jamal Ahmed Khan, a UK Awami League leader close to Rehana's family, told Bangla Tribune that a decision on her onward destination would be made after a few days, and that she is certainly not coming to London for now.
Her son, Sajeeb Wajed Joy, told NDTV that his mother had not wanted to leave Bangladesh but had to because it was not safe for her to stay.
For now, the Bangladeshi transport plane that carried her remains parked near the hangars where the Indian Air Force keeps its C-17 and C-130J Super Hercules aircraft. Hasina herself is in a safe house in India. The open questions are how long she stays and which country, if any, takes her in next.
Citazioni salienti
Hasina did not want to leave, but she had to because it was not safe for her.— Sajeeb Wajed Joy, her son, to NDTV
A decision on where she goes from India will be taken in a few days, but she is not coming to London for now.— Jamal Ahmed Khan, UK Awami League leader, to Bangla Tribune
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