Ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina landed at IAF’s Hindon base near here around 5.30 pm, as the Indian Government decided to extend her all assistance in her future plans.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi late evening chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to consider Indian response to the critical situation prevailing in Bangladesh.
Senior Cabinet Ministers including External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Home Minister Amit Shah attended the meeting. Mr Jaishankar had briefed the Prime Minister earlier also.
The External Affairs Minister is expected to make a statement on the developments in Parliament on Tuesday.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met Sheikh Hasina at the Hindon Air Base and assured her of all assistance.
Her aircraft was refuelled at the Hindon airbase. There were reports that she might proceed to London to stay with a relative.
Sheikh Hasina’s aircraft was parked near the Indian Air Force’s C-17 and C-130J Super Hercules aircraft hangars. Its aircraft movement was monitored by Indian Air Force and security agencies from its entry into the Indian airspace till landing at the Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad.
Both Houses of Parliament had adjourned for the day, just as the Indian government was preparing to receive the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi met Mr Jaishankar and discussed the Bangladesh developments.
As the ongoing turmoil in Bangladesh caused concern in India, the Indian government had warned its citizens against travelling to Bangladesh till further notice.
All Indian nationals in Bangladesh were also advised to exercise extreme caution, restrict their movements and remain in contact with the High Commission of India in Dhaka through their emergency phone numbers, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
The Indian border with Bangladesh has been put on alert. The government will keep a watch if there is migration of Hindu refugees because of some attacks on Hindu leaders. India has had friendly relations with its eastern neighbour since its birth in 1971.
Sheikh Hasina had attended Prime Minister Modi’s swearing-in in June for his third term in office. Within a couple of weeks, she came again for an official visit when several agreements on scientific cooperation were signed.
Bangladesh holds significance for India for its East Asia Policy. India attaches great importance to the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) which links five countries from South Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, India & Sri Lanka) and two from South-East Asia (Myanmar & Thailand).