India assures help to Sheikh Hasina, monitors safety of students

S Jaishankar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah and other leaders during an All-Party meeting about the ongoing developments in Bangladesh. Pic/PTI

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday told an all-party meeting that India has assured help to former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who arrived here on Monday evening, and given her time to decide the future course of action, sources said. Briefing political party leaders in Parliament House, Jaishankar said India has spoken to the Bangladesh Army Chief to ensure the safety of over 10,000 Indian students in that country, the sources said.

Replying to questions from various leaders, including Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, the minister did not rule out the role of foreign governments in the unrest in the country but emphasised that the situation was too fluid, and the government has been keeping a watch on the evolving situation, they said.

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At the meeting, Gandhi asked if foreign governments might be involved in fuelling the crisis there. Jaishankar said that households and properties belonging to minorities were targeted by protestors in the neighbouring country. Noting that it has been not even 24 hours since Hasina arrived in India, he said she 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.

Indo-Bangla trade gridlocked

Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar speaks in RS. Pic/PTI

India-Bangladesh trade, which was disrupted in the wake of the unrest in the neighbouring country and the resignation of embattled PM Sheikh Hasina, remained stalled on Tuesday, traders said. West Bengal Exporters Coordination Committee secretary Ujjal Saha said trade through land ports in the state has been halted due to "non-clearance of goods by Bangladesh customs, resulting in hundreds of trucks being lined up in parking lots". Trade between two countries through land ports at Petrapole, Gojadanga, Mahadipur, and Fulbari in WB has been affected, while some passenger movement has been reported but turnout remains low, sources said.

Maitree Express cancelled

The Eastern Railway said services of the Kolkata-Dhaka-Kolkata Maitree Express will remain cancelled on Wednesday due to the ongoing turmoil in Bangladesh. The neighbouring country plunged into uncertainty after protests led to the resignation of the country's prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, on Monday. Citing a message from Bangladesh Railways, the ER said on Tuesday the services of Maitree Express, which has not been operational since July 19, will not resume services on Wednesday. The operations of bi-weekly Kolkata-Khulna-Kolkata Bandhan Express have also remained suspended since July 21.

Hasina's London plans on hold

New Delhi: Former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina's plan to travel to London has hit a roadblock over some "uncertainties" and she is unlikely to move out of India for the next couple of days, people familiar with the matter said. Hasina, who landed at the Hindon airbase on Monday in a C-130J military transport aircraft hours after resigning as the prime minister, has been shifted to an unspecified location under tight security, they said. The former Bangladesh PM, accompanied by her sister Rehana, planned to leave for London from India to take temporary refuge but the option is not being pursued now. Agencies

Monitoring situation of minorities: EAM

India is monitoring the situation with regard to minorities in Bangladesh and is in "close and continuous" touch with the Indian community there through its diplomatic missions, the government informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. In a statement to the Upper House, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also briefed the MPs on former prime minister Sheikh Hasina's "very short notice" request to come to India "for the moment".

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