1975 and 2024: The story of Sheikh Hasina’s two stays in India

When things came to a head, Sheikh Hasina knew it wasn’t safe to stay in Bangladesh. She not only had to resign as prime minister but also flee the nation, which she ruled for 15 years, in haste. Where would she go? She turned toward her friendly neighbour – India.

On Monday, the embattled leader left Dhaka, got into a military aircraft and landed at the Hindon Airbase in Ghaziabad along with her younger sister Rehana. It’s not the first time she has sought refuge in the country.

The sisters found themselves in India 49 years ago. In 1975, Hasina and Rehana sought India’s help after soldiers assassinated her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with seven family members including his 10-year-old son Russell. Hasina escaped because she was in Germany with her husband and Rehana.

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As life brings her back to India, we look at the story of her two stays.

Throwback to 1975

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is dubbed as the architect of independent Bangladesh. In 1971, he called on the People of East Pakistan to prepare to fight for the independence of Bangladesh. It led to the Liberation War and the country was formed.

However, after independence tension gripped the army over the discrimination against some Bengali soldiers, who had not rebelled against Pakistan ahead of the war. The discontent grew and some young soldiers assassinated Mujibur Rahman and his entire family, paving the way for a military coup.

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Hasina and her sister Rehana did not meet the deadly fate, as they were in Germany at the time. They could not return to Bangladesh, a nation shell-shocked and plunged into turmoil.

With nowhere to go, they called on India for help. New Delhi was a trusted ally; it had helped play a crucial role in Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan.

Indira Gandhi was India’s prime minister and she extended refuge to Hasina, her husband MA Wazed Miah, her children and her sister.

In 2022, Hasian recalled the execution of her family. It was “unbelievable”, she said. “Mrs Indira Gandhi immediately sent information that she wanted to give us security and shelter… We decided to come back here (Delhi) because we had in our mind that if we went to Delhi, from Delhi, we’d be able to go back to our country. And then we’ll be able to know how many members of the family are still alive," Hasina said in the 2022 interview, according to India Today.

India provided political asylum to Hasina. Indira Gandhi met her soon after she returned from Germany and assured her safety, providing her house. It was only on meeting Gandhi that Hasina learned that several members of her family were killed.

The Bangladesh leader and her family stayed at 56 Ring Road, Lajpat Nagar-3 first. They then shifted to a house in Lutyens Delhi’s Pandara Road.

Hasina’s secret life in Delhi

In an interview in 2022, Hasina spoke about how she lived as a secret resident of Delhi. All members of the family took fake identities for security reasons.

The Bangladesh leader’s children – a son and daughter – were only toddlers then and that came with challenges of its own. The first two to three years were difficult, especially for the children.

Hasina recalled that her children would cry and miss their grandparents and uncle. “They remembered my younger brother [Sheikh Russell] mostly,” she said in the interview.

During her six years in India, Hasina forged some strong ties. She became close to former Indian president and veteran Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee and the Gandhi family. She built connections which were instrumental in her political career.

Hasina returned to Bangladesh after the situation started changing in the 1980s. After she was elected as the general secretary of the Awami League in absentia, she ended her stay in exile on May 17 1981.

Back seeking refuge in Delhi in 2024

Hasina returned to Dhaka and fought against the military regimes and was first elected as Bangladesh’s prime minister in 1996. Ironically, she was now ousted after an army coup.

The Bangladesh army reportedly gave Hasina 45 minutes to resign. She quit and fled the country as anti-government protests turned violent. She once again turned to New Delhi for help. It obliged.

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar told Rajya Sabha on Tuesday that former Bangladesh PM “apparently made the decision to resign and at very short notice, she requested approval to come for the moment to India.”

The Indian armed forces ensured her safe passage once the plane carrying Hasina entered the Indian airspace. On Monday, the Bangladesh leader and her sister landed at the Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad, about 30 km from New Delhi. She was received by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and then reportedly taken to a “safe house”.

Reports suggest that Hasina is seeking asylum in the United Kingdom . However, the UK government headed by Keir Starmer, said individuals seeking asylum must do so “in the first safe country they reach”, according to a report in NDTV. “The UK has a proud record of providing protection for people who need it. However, there is no provision for someone to be allowed to travel to the UK to seek asylum or temporary refuge.”

With the UK not coming forth to accommodate her, her next move is unclear. For now, she is in India.

At an all-party meeting held earlier on Tuesday, Jaishankar said Hasina is in a state of shock and the government is giving her time to recover before it speaks to her over various issues, including her future plans, the sources said.

Hasina might not know what’s next. But she can be certain that India is a friend in need.

With inputs from agencies