Bangladesh politician Sheikh Hasina resigned on Monday amid historic unrest in the delta nation. Reports state that the Awami League politician is rpeorted to have sought asylum in India's West Bengal. The Border Security Force (BSF) has therefore issued a a "high alert" across all its formations along the 4,096-km India-Bangladesh border.
According to ANI citing officials, Indian security agencies have been monitoring a C-130 aircraft with call sign AJAX1431 since 10 kms from Indian border with Bangladesh and it is heading towards Delhi.
It is believed that Sheikh Hasina and some members of her entourage are on this plane, the ANI rpeort stated.
The Border Security Force (BSF) has instructed all field commanders to be "on ground" and immediately deploy all personnel on border duty, according to a senior officer speaking to PTI.
This directive follows a recent surge in massive protests in Bangladesh, leading to the cancellation of all leave for personnel stationed along the Bangladesh border.
The BSF, responsible for securing India’s eastern border, covers five states: West Bengal, with a 2,217-kilometer border; Tripura (856 km); Meghalaya (443 km); Assam (262 km); and Mizoram (318 km).
All units have been ordered to maintain a heightened state of alert in response to the escalating situation across the border.
Sheikh Hasina, 76, who once rescued Bangladesh from military rule, saw her 15-year tenure abruptly end on Monday when protesters stormed her palace in Dhaka.
Hasina's long leadership was marked by significant economic growth but also by widespread political repression and human rights sanctions against her security forces.
Despite winning a fifth term as Prime Minister in January, Hasina faced accusations of overseeing a flawed election boycotted by the opposition.
Critics have highlighted numerous rights abuses under her rule, including the killing of opposition activists.
Known for her role in Bangladesh’s economic resurgence, Hasina, the daughter of the nation's founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, had promised to transform Bangladesh into a "prosperous and developed country."
Hasina had led a breakneck economic growth in a country once written off by US statesman Henry Kissinger as an irredeemable "basket case".
However, around 18 million young Bangladeshis remain unemployed, according to government figures.
