Despite fleeing to India after losing power, former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina finds herself far from at ease. There are allegations that she was involved in an attempted coup against the Bangladeshi government while residing in Delhi, although the effort was unsuccessful.
Since then, it has been reported that the Indian intelligence agency, RAW, has been controlling her movements. Additionally, with her diplomatic passport expired, the Awami League president may find it difficult to return to Bangladesh.
People in Bangladesh are curious about what such a proud figure is doing in Delhi. While the Bangladeshi media has widely reported that Sheikh Hasina is in Delhi, she is actually in Ghaziabad, a small town in Uttar Pradesh. She is under special protection at a safe house in the Hindon Air Force Station in Ghaziabad. Although the Indian authorities initially considered housing her in Delhi or Shimla, they later abandoned those plans.
Hasina is being kept under military protection to ensure that no one can meet her without Delhi’s permission.
The Mirror Asia has conducted an extensive investigation into how Hasina’s days have been since her escape, revealing that RAW is indeed controlling her movements. She is essentially being kept in a restrained state. Mirror Asia spoke with three well-informed sources over the past two days to gather details about Hasina’s situation.
It was learned that Hasina arrived in Ghaziabad on August 5, exhausted and distressed. She expressed frustration that her people had betrayed her. There were no political discussions with the Indian authorities on August 5 and 6, but from August 7 onwards, Hasina voluntarily reached out to numerous Awami League leaders both in Bangladesh and in India. Under her direction, these leaders held meetings in Kolkata and Delhi to formulate various strategies.
Mirror Asia has also confirmed that Sheikh Hasina did not meet or speak with any journalist from The Print. The information published by The Print under Hasina’s name was actually provided by RAW, which instructed the outlet to present it as her statement. As part of a special plan, RAW has taken control of all of Hasina’s communications.
Particularly, Hasina emphasized maintaining control over the Bangladeshi media and launching propaganda campaigns in the Indian media. The key players in maintaining control over the Bangladeshi media were Salman F Rahman, Bahauddin Nasim, and a Member of Parliament from Jessore, who owns several media outlets in Bangladesh.
According to sources, the mastermind behind the propaganda about Bangladesh in the Indian media is Hasina herself. An attempted coup involving Bangladesh’s former Chief Justice and pro-Awami League lawyers failed, dramatically altering the situation.
Since then, the Indian intelligence agency has not looked kindly upon the limited communications between Hasina and Awami League leaders.
The Indian authorities have also received information that Hasina’s downfall due to the student movement involved betrayal by members of her own party. As a result, RAW has now taken full control over Hasina’s communications.
The Indian authorities have also received information that Hasina’s downfall due to the student movement involved betrayal by members of her own party. As a result, RAW has now taken full control over Hasina’s communications.
It is also reported that Sheikh Hasina is unaware of a letter supposedly from her to party members, which was published in Dhaka’s Daily Ittefaq and the Bangla Tribune. RAW had supplied the letter to the Bangladeshi media and urged its quick publication.
Mirror Asia has also confirmed that Sheikh Hasina did not meet or speak with any journalist from The Print. The information published by The Print under Hasina’s name was actually provided by RAW, which instructed the outlet to present it as her statement. As part of a special plan, RAW has taken control of all of Hasina’s communications.
Meanwhile, another controversy has arisen regarding Hasina’s stay in India. Sheikh Hasina typically used a diplomatic passport, which was canceled upon her resignation. Without a regular Bangladeshi passport, the question arises on what basis she is residing in India.
Moreover, under Indian law, there is no provision for granting asylum to anyone. A source noted that Salahuddin Ahmed, a leader of the Bangladeshi opposition party, lived in Shillong, Meghalaya, for an extended period with special court permission. Similarly, Sheikh Hasina would need special permission from the Indian government to stay in India. In that case, without a passport, Hasina would not be able to suddenly return to Bangladesh. She would need a special travel pass from the Bangladesh government, which seems unlikely under the current administration. Thus, legally, there seems to be little chance of Hasina returning to Bangladesh anytime soon.
