We hope for the early restoration of the law-and-order situation in Bangladesh, says MEA Spokesperson
The interest of the people of Bangladesh is foremost in the minds of the Indian people and the Indian government, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday (August 8, 2024) as it expressed hope for early restoration of law and order in the country.
 
“The situation is evolving… It has been reported that this evening there will be a swearing-in of the interim government. Once, those things take place... I would like to emphasise one thing, for the government and the people of India, the interest of the people of Bangladesh is foremost in our minds,” MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in response to questions at the weekly media briefing. 
 
Violence arising out of mass protests by students in recent weeks against quotas in government jobs has left hundreds of people dead in Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina announced her resignation as Bangladesh Prime Minister and subsequently flew into India after angry protesters defied curfew in Dhaka. 
 
Jaiswal noted that it was the responsibility of every government to ensure the well-being of all its citizens. "We hope for the early restoration of the law-and-order situation in Bangladesh. This is both in the interest of Bangladesh as a whole and the larger region as a whole," Jaiswal added.
 
Asked about the former Bangladesh Prime Minister who landed at Hindon airport near New Delhi on Monday (August 5, 2024), the MEA Spokesperson said he did not have any update on her plans. "It is for her to take things forward," he remarked.

'Sheikh Hasina Requested Approval to Come to India at Very Short Notice'
 
On Tuesday, making a statement in both Houses of Parliament (Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha), External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said she apparently made the decision to resign after a meeting with leaders of the security establishment as demonstrators converged in Dhaka on Monday (August 5, 2024), despite a curfew.
 
"At very short notice, she requested approval to come for the moment to India. We simultaneously received a request for flight clearance from Bangladesh authorities. She arrived yesterday evening in Delhi," he stated.
 
Explaining the genesis of the current crisis, EAM Jaishankar referred to "considerable tension, deep divides, and growing polarisation in Bangladesh politics since the election in January 2024". This "underlying foundation" aggravated a student agitation that started in June this year and there was growing violence, including attacks on public buildings and infrastructure, as well as traffic and rail obstructions," he stated. The violence continued through the month of July, he added.
 
"Throughout this period, we repeatedly counselled restraint and urged that the situation be defused through dialogue. Similar urgings were made to various political forces with whom we were in touch," EAM Jaishankar stated.
 
He went on to explain how there was no let-up in the public agitation despite a Supreme Court judgement on July 21, 2024. “Various decisions and actions taken thereafter only exacerbated the situation. The agitation at this stage coalesced around a one-point agenda, that is that the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina should step down,” he pointed out.
 
Events took a very serious turn on August 4, 2024, as attacks on police, including police stations and government installations, intensified even as overall levels of violence greatly escalated, he noted.