Sheikh Hasina’s fall in Bangladesh shows history’s cruel irony

Bangladesh is a relatively new nation. It was known as East Pakistan before being born as an independent nation in 1971 after a war of liberation from Pakistan in which India played a major role. The unseating of Hasina has been described as the second liberation of Bangladesh.

The immediate priority for Delhi will be confirming the personal safety and political status of Hasina. The latest reports suggest the UK is unwilling to extend full protection from potential investigations, while the United States has refused to comment on reports that Washington revoked Hasina’s visa.

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If Hasina stays in India for an extended period, it will not be the first time she has received such shelter. When her father was assassinated in 1975, then-Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi took Hasina under her protection and helped her return to Bangladesh to strengthen the country’s nascent democracy. It is ironic that Hasina is now guilty of thwarting the same democratic impulse in a ruthless manner.

This is a heavy cross to bear as the Sheikh Mujibur legacy has been sullied, symbolised poignantly by the imposing statue of Bangladesh’s founding father being torn from its pedestal in Dhaka. The rhythms of history can be unforgiving of authoritarian hubris.

Commodore C. Uday Bhaskar is director of the Society for Policy Studies (SPS), an independent think tank based in New Delhi