Bangladeshi Aircraft Spotted Flying Over Indian Airspace: Destination Unknown for Sheikh Hasina
Sheikh Hasina, who has governed since 2009, had resisted weeks of requests for her to step down.
New Delhi:
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stepped down today and departed the country following more than a month of lethal anti-government protests. Army chief General Waker-Us-Zaman announced that an interim government would be established.
The 76-year-old leader is rumored to have flown in a Bangladesh military plane with her sibling, reports indicated.
Footage from airline tracker Flight Radar displayed an aircraft of Bangladesh Air Force – Lockheed C-130J Hercules – flying over India. The plane was observed flying over Jharkhand.
Earlier, some reports suggested that Ms Hasina would fly to West Bengal but according to the airline data, the plane avoided the state.
Ms Hasina, who has governed since 2009, had resisted weeks of requests for her to step down but fled following a brutal day of turmoil on Sunday in which nearly 100 people perished.
According to sources, her security team urged her to depart and that she did not have any time to prepare.
The country witnessed tumultuous scenes from this morning that culminated in Ms Hasina’s resignation. Massive crowds were observed waving flags, and dancing on top of a tank in the streets before hundreds breached the gates of Ms Hasina’a official residence.
Some destroyed a statue of her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the nation’s independence hero.
Earlier, Ms Hasina’s son urged the security forces to prevent any takeover from her 15-year rule.
“Your obligation is to keep our people safe and our country secure and to uphold the constitution,” her son, US-based Sajeeb Wazed Joy, stated in a post on Facebook.
“It indicates not allowing any unelected government to assume power for one minute, it is your responsibility.”
The country’s military and other security forces had supported Ms Hasina’s government through the turmoil that commenced last month against civil services jobs. The protests escalated into broader demands for her to step down.
The demonstrations were regarding the reintroduction of a quota scheme that set aside more than half of all government jobs for specific groups.
Ms Hasina secured her fourth consecutive election in January in a vote without a genuine opposition.
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