Experts term situation in Bangladesh "very volatile", suspect foreign hands' involvement behind unrest

New Delhi [India], August 6 : As the situation in Bangladesh worsened following Sheikh Hasina's resignation amid heavy protests, several former diplomats and experts have raised concerns about the scenario and asked the Indian government to remain vigilant.
Several experts have cautioned about a huge influx of migrants from Bangladesh and have also raised suspicion of the involvement of a foreign hand behind the unrest in Bangladesh.
This comes amid the crisis unfolding in Bangladesh as student protests against quota in job reservations turned into a major anti-government protest creating unrest and forcing Sheikh Hasina to resign as Prime Minister and flee from the country.
Former Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Veena Sikri has termed the current situation in Bangladesh as "very volatile" adding that India is carefully watching the scenario as it wants a stable neighbourhood.
Speaking to ANI, Veena Sikri said, "The situation in Bangladesh is very volatile today. PM Sheikh Hasina gave her resignation yesterday and she has left the country. She is currently in India and the situation is evolving. We have to watch carefully what is happening in Bangladesh."
"We in India, are watching it very carefully because we want a stable neighborhood. We want there to be stability, economic development, economic interaction with Bangladesh," she added.
She emphasized that although everyone thinks that the crisis unfolded due to the quota protests, but the fact is both Hasina and the students were on the same page on the issue.
"The world thinks that it was a quota reform movement, a student's movement but the students and PM Hasina have for the longest time been on the same wavelength. It is PM Hasina who abolished the quota in 2018. This year, in the month of June, when the High Court restored the quota, she went to the Supreme Court, again in favour of the students and student groups even joined the government of Bangladesh in going to the Supreme Court," Sikri said.
The former Indian envoy further elaborated how the student protests, turned into clashes between the student wings of Awami League and other opposition political parties, leading to complete "mayhem."
"In between, there was a clash between the students and the Awami Chhatra League, so all the other political parties, the Jamaat-e-Islami, Shibir, which is their student wing, and BNP student wing, they all came onto the street and there was complete mayhem, complete chaos, violence, deaths," she added.

Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, who also served as Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, also elaborated on the situation and opined that the possibility of foreign hands behind the unrest can't be ruled out.
"Bangladesh has seen many such crises in the past... It has happened because of many reasons, basically their internal ones. It cannot be ruled out that there are foreign forces in Bangladesh who did not want the Hasina government to continue...Her feelings and agony are understandable," Chakravarty told ANI.
The former Indian envoy said that India will 'wait and watch'. He also cautioned against a huge exodus of Hindus from Bangladesh and said that there is a need to remain vigilant on the borders.
"India will wait and watch the developments in Bangladesh. A new government will be formed and we will deal with it as we have done in the past. We have even dealt with military dictators in Bangladesh after 1975...Some people are taking advantage of the chaos to attack Hindu homes, and temples, and to loot their property. There could be an exodus of Hindus from Bangladesh...Alertness on the borders is a pre-requisite to deal with this situation," he added.

Defence Expert Brigadier Ranjit Borthakur (Retd) also raised concerns about the Bangladesh situation and said it is a "very worrying situation" for India.
"What has happened in Bangladesh, especially yesterday, is of great concern to us. I won't say Sheikh Hasina fled, she left Bangladesh but with due support of the Armed Forces...It's a very worrying situation as far as India is concerned. Of all the neighboring countries, we had the best of relations with Bangladesh," Borthakur said.
He said that the Sheikh Hasina government had tackled several northeast insurgent groups, but the new government of Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami are believed to be 'anti-India'.
"Earlier, all northeast insurgents' militant groups had bases in Bangladesh, which were removed when Sheikh Hasina came to power...The new government is likely to have elements of Jamaat-e-Islami and BNP, which is anti-India. During the previous BNP government in the country, many terrorist camps were established in Bangladesh," the defence expert said.
"Jamaat-e-Islami has been supporting fundamental religious activities in the country and along the border, particularly in Assam, Meghalaya, and Tripura... If there are attacks on Hindus, they are likely to attempt to cross the border to come to India for shelter. Second, if inimical anti-India elements are housed in Bangladesh, they'll cause problems for us," he added.
Brigadier Ranjit Borthakur also asserted that there is a need to check Chinese influence and raised suspicion on the role of Pakistan's ISI.
"We also need to check for Chinese influence in the sequence of events...Many say that Pakistan's ISI also has a role to play...The present Army Chief has assured that the new government will be balanced for both Hindus and Muslims," he added.
Bangladesh is facing a fluid political situation with Sheikh Hasina, on August 5, tendering her resignation from her post in the wake of mounting protests. The protests, led majorly by students demanding an end to a quota system for government jobs, took the shape of anti-government protests.
Earlier in the day, President Mohammed Shahabuddin, announced the dissolution of the country's parliament to make way for the formation of an interim administration, Dhaka Tribune reported.
In another major development, BNP chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia was also released.
Hasina arrived in India on Monday evening and it is not clear if she will stay in Delhi or move to another location.
Meanwhile, in Dhaka, leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement have proposed an interim government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, in a bid to address Bangladesh's ongoing challenge.