NEW DELHI: A day after former Bangladeshi Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina flew into India after submitting her resignation, the situation in Bangladesh continues to be volatile with cases of looting, and arson being reported.
While Sheikh Hasina can stay in India as a guest for ‘as long as she wants’, according to sources, the Parliament in Dhaka has been disbanded by the President, former Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud has been detained and former members of Awami League are on the run.
Meanwhile, even though all Indian students from Bangladesh have returned to India, there is still concern about the safety of the nearly 500 Indians (which includes staff and their families) working in the Indian High Commission in Dhaka and Assistant High Commissions in Chittagong, Rajshahi, Sylhet and Khulna.
``There is turmoil as the army has gone into the barracks and the police isn’t around either. So goons are on a rampage. Till the current situation settles down, it will be a challenge for the interim government to function, even though Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus has been roped in,’’ Professor Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah, a political commentator, told TNIE.
Meanwhile, the army has been restructured where many senior officers have been dismissed from service.
Interestingly, a segment of Bangladesh’s intelligentsia are unhappy with Sheikh Hasina’s exit.
``PM Hasina made a hasty exist leaving the country in a state of crisis. A leader's foremost responsibility is to stand by their people during times of adversity. Her exit has been perceived as an abdication of duty,’’ said Dr Tanvir Abir, Associate Professor of Daffodil International University Dhaka.