Sheikh Hasina may have to stay in India for a while. Here’s how Delhi is readying for it

It’s been two days since Bangladesh’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled Dhaka and came to India. Her stay was expected to be a stopover. The plan to seek asylum in the United Kingdom has hit a roadblock. While Hasina explores other options, it is expected that she will stay in India.

New Delhi, say media reports, is preparing to accommodate the Bangladesh leader for a bit. While External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday (August 6) that Hasina “requested approval to come for the moment to India”, he also said that the government was giving her “time to recover” before it speaks to her about her future plans.

Why has Hasina’s stay in India been extended?

When Hasina landed in India on Monday (5 August), reports said she would soon take a flight to London. The UK is where she was reportedly seeking asylum. The Bangladesh leader’s sister Rehana, who escaped from Dhaka with her, is a citizen of the UK. Rehana’s daughter Tulip Siddiq is a member of the British Parliament. Hence Britain was the first option.

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However, Hasina’s plans to travel to the UK have hit a “technical roadblock”.

The UK immigration rules have no provision for someone to be allowed to travel to the country to seek asylum or temporary refuge. Applying for asylum from outside the UK is not a possibility, according to a report in The Indian Express.

A person can seek asylum once they are in the country. But Hasina cannot enter the UK, as she no longer holds a diplomatic passport and doesn’t have a valid visa.

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The UK government said individuals seeking asylum must do so “in the first safe country they reach”. “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,” it said, according to NDTV.

In a statement on Monday, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy spoke about the “unprecedented levels of violence and tragic loss of life” in Bangladesh. “The people of Bangladesh deserve a full and independent UN-led investigation into the events of the past few weeks. The UK wants to see action taken to ensure Bangladesh a peaceful and democratic future. The UK and Bangladesh have deep people-to-people links and shared Commonwealth values,” he said.

Lammy did not mention Hasina or granting her asylum, making the country’s position clear.

The UK is seemingly no longer an option and her visa to the United States is reportedly revoked. Hasina will have to evaluate where she would heat next. Until then she is expected to remain in India.

How is India planning to accommodate Hasina?

While India does not have an asylum policy, Hasina is “safe” in the country, which has been her trusted ally.

India is preparing for the possibility of hosting the ousted Bangladesh PM for a “while”. Security agencies are readying for a longer-than-expected stay, according to an India Today report.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is closely monitoring the situation and regularly updates Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the developments.

Doval received Hasina when she landed at Hindon Airbase in Ghaziabad. She was then moved to a “safe house” nearby. However, plans are afoot to relocate her to a more spacious and secure accommodation, reports India Today.

It is not clear yet if Hasina will be moved to another “safe house” managed by Indian intelligence or another place in the Capital with high security. Top officials of the External Affairs Ministry, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Defence and intelligence establishment are all part of these high-level discussions, according to a report by The Indian Express.

Garud commandoes of the Indian Air Force have secured the Hindon airbase, where the C-130J military transport aircraft in which Hasina arrived is parked. The elite National Security Guard commandoes have been deployed for her security.

Hasina has been a trusted ally of India and New Delhi has no plans to pressure her to leave yet. All protocols befitting a head of state are reportedly being extended to her.

This is the second time Hasina has turned to India in a time of crisis. When her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated in 1975 along with her mother, brother and other family members, Hasina and Rehana escaped as they were in Germany. They later came to India, where they stayed in exile for six years. Hasina was accompanied by her husband and two children, a son and a daughter.

Now Delhi is once ready to host Hasina. “This is her second home,” a source told The Indian Express.

What hosting Hasina means for India

While India is giving Hasina time to decide her next move, it poses a diplomatic challenge for the country.

New Delhi cannot afford to abandon the Bangladesh leader, who has been cracking down on anti-India groups. She has proved to be a reliable and strategic partner.

However, giving asylum to Hasina would indicate that India is picking sides in the Bangladesh crisis. It would not go down well with the current dispensation. It could also create tensions along India’s 4,096 km border.

The anti-India sentiment is high among the public in Bangladesh. While New Delhi has been a friend of Hasina’s, it will also have to establish ties with a new government which will take over Bangladesh.

So once again India has to play a balancing act. Sheikh Hasina will stay in the country for now. But New Delhi might not like her to be a permanent guest.

With inputs from agencies