There have been many rumors about the current whereabouts of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Finally, putting an end to all speculations, Indian media ‘The Print’ has clarified the current whereabouts of Sheikh Hasina.
A report in ‘The Print’ on Thursday (October 24) said that former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is currently living in a safe house in the Lutyens' Bungalow zone of the capital New Delhi.
The Print said that Sheikh Hasina has been given a house in Lutyens' Bungalow, like the houses allotted to ministers, senior MPs and top officials of the Indian government, according to her status. To protect Sheikh Hasina's privacy and security, The Print has decided not to disclose the exact address or street details of the house.
Sources said that Sheikh Hasina occasionally goes out for a walk in Lodhi Garden with proper protocol for security reasons. The source said, ''She (Sheikh Hasina) has been living in that area for more than two months. All arrangements have been made for her staying here.''
Citing sources, The Print said that Sheikh Hasina and some of her close associates arrived at the Hindon Air Base in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, on August 5 in a Bangladesh Air Force C-130 plane. She was evacuated from the Hindon Air Base two days later due to lack of adequate accommodation. Later, she was accommodated in a house in Lutyens', a safe and secure area of Delhi.
Although the Indian government has not officially disclosed Sheikh Hasina's whereabouts to the Bangladesh government so far, the country's Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar told Parliament last August that Sheikh Hasina had sought permission to come to India at short notice.
The Print has sent telephone calls and text messages to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs to inquire about this. However, this Indian media outlet has not received any response from the ministry till the time of publishing the report on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Hasina's daughter Saima Wazed is working as the regional director for South-East Asia at the World Health Organization (WHO) office in Delhi, India. She is the first Bangladeshi to hold this position. Saima Wazed currently lives in Delhi.
It is worth noting that Sheikh Hasina fled to India on August 5 in the face of protests. Later, the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) established by Sheikh Hasina in 2010 issued arrest warrants against the former Prime Minister, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader and 44 others on charges of "crimes against humanity" committed during the student protests in July and August. The warrants against Sheikh Hasina and other political leaders were issued by the chairman of the International Crimes Tribunal, Md. Golam Mortuza Majumder.