'Hasina lands in India, NSA Doval meets her'

India yet to issue an official statement

- VINAY KUMAR & SIMONTINI BHATTACHARJEE

Embattled and ousted Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, fled Dhaka on Monday and landed at Hindon air base in Ghaziabad on the outskirts of the national capital. This followed weeks of deadly and unprecedented protests that began last month over a job quota system for family members of veterans from the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war against Pakistan.

The protests swelled and took shape as a wider antigovernment movement across the country. The participation of youth, civil society groups, and students turned violent, resulting in nearly 300 deaths, mostly among students, in clashes with the police.

In a day marked by rapid developments and widespread uncertainty in Bangladesh, 76-year-old Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who had served four terms, stepped down from her position. She was escorted to a military airbase in Dhaka, from where she departed for India after requesting safe passage and permission to enter Indian airspace, according to reliable sources.