Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
| Photo Credit: PTI

GUWAHATI

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday (August 7) did not rule out the possibility of some extremist groups of the northeast setting up bases again in Bangladesh.

He also said the evolving political situation in Bangladesh after the violent fall of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government could pose a security threat to the region due to the probable displacement of people in the neighbouring country, especially religious minorities.

“The situation in Bangladesh is worrying for us for two reasons. If the unrest continues, many people will be desperate to cross over into India. This makes it imperative for us to secure our borders,” the Chief Minister told journalists at an event in eastern Assam’s Golaghat district.

“Moreover, extremist outfits of the northeast may try to exploit the tumultuous situation to set up bases in Bangladesh again, posing a renewed threat to our regional stability. During her tenure as the Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina uprooted all the terror groups of the region that were operating from Bangladesh,” Dr. Sarma said.

Eye on ULFA(I)

Barring a few such as the United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) headed by the fugitive Paresh Baruah, and Meghalaya’s Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council, most extremist groups in the northeast have either been disbanded, or are engaged in talks.

Beginning with Mizoram’s Laldenga and his Mizo National Front, many extremist groups of the northeast carried out hit-and-run operations in India from their bases in Bangladesh. Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence and Bangladesh’s Directorate General of Forces Intelligence allegedly helped these outfits set up hideouts in the country.

The ULFA established camps in Dhaka, Satcherri, and Sherpur in Bangladesh in 1991 and established close ties with the pro-Pakistan Bangladesh Nationalist Party headed by Khaleda Zia and other political parties, including the pro-India Awami League.

The ULFA was initially not troubled by the Awami League, which turned hostile toward all extremist groups of the northeast after coming to power in 2009. The leaders and members of most of these outfits were either driven away or handed over to India.

The capture of five members of the Isak-Muivah (I-M) faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) in Tripura’s Kailasahar area in October 2009 confirmed the group’s presence in Bangladesh. Caught by Border Security Force personnel after crossing into India, the five had escaped after killing six fellow NSCN (I-M) members at the outfit’s camp in Bangladesh’s Moulvi Bazar district.

A boy celebrates with a national flag after the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Aug. 6.
| Photo Credit: AP

India is yet to acknowledge the reasons that triggered the student protests leading to the ouster of Sheikh Hasina as Bangladesh Prime Minister, said a leading member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the Opposition in the country.

Speaking to The Hindu from Thailand, where he has been living in exile for the past few years, the leader said External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s speech appeared to be “biased” against the students and that India could have played a more active role in preventing the crackdown against the protesters.

“Mr. Jaishankar started his speech by pointing out that there was tension in Bangladesh after the January election but failed to mention the reason behind the tension. It shows that Indian policymakers are yet to acknowledge the fact that the tension in Bangladesh was because of the fact that the January elections were a fraudulent exercise that excluded the Opposition,” said the leading BNP member over the phone.

“As the Foreign Minister of the largest country in South Asia, Mr. Jaishankar should have given an unbiased version of the events in Bangladesh,” he said pointing out that the protest and the subsequent violence were the results of a flawed political process.

Speaking in both houses of the Parliament, Mr. Jaishankar had pointed out that the months-long tension in Bangladesh erupted into the student protests of July and that the students had converged on Dhaka despite curfew.

The BNP leader did not agree with several points mentioned in the speech of the External Affairs Minister and said, “Mr. Jaishankar seems to be blaming the students for protesting. The issue is what was done to reduce tension by the government? Instead of dialogue, the Hasina government fired at the students.”

Speaking on condition of anonymity, he said Indian decisionmakers did not do enough to convince Ms. Hasina against holding a ‘flawed’ election. He said India should have done more to prevent Ms. Hasina from holding the election in January 2024 as that was not transparent. He argued that Ms. Hasina had jailed many leaders of the Opposition and several like him had to seek shelter elsewhere. He said he and other members of the BNP are eager to return to Bangladesh as early as possible. He cited the remarks by Mr. Jaishankar about the reported attacks on the minority communities and said the current situation requires mainstream political parties like the BNP to hit the ground to control the situation from spiraling out of control.

“Already we are doing our best and have created BNP volunteers groups in every locality to defend Hindu temples and other minority places of worship. Only political parties with deep public network can prevent communal clashes,” he said.

“Our leader Khaleda Zia has been freed by the military administration which is currently running the country. But that is just the beginning as many leaders are yet to be released,” said the BNP figure urging India to engage with all sections of politics in Bangladesh. He, however, displayed anxiety over the delay in the formation of the interim government. He said that as per the constitutional rules, a caretaker government had to be formed on August 6 soon after the dissolution of the government which will hold a free and fair election three months later. He urged Indian policymakers to rebuild relations and engage with the new political players.

People roam on the street after curfew has been proclaimed and army deployment in the country, as violence erupts following anti-quota protests, in Dhaka, on July 20, 2024.
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

The United States has recommended that its citizens not travel to Bangladesh and allowed the voluntary departure of its non-emergency government employees and family members in light of the ongoing civil unrest in the South Asian country.

The development comes just a day after the U.S. issued a new travel advisory for Bangladesh, urging Americans to reconsider travelling to the country.

Authorities in Bangladesh imposed a strict curfew across the country and military personnel patrolled parts of the capital to quell further violence after days of clashes over the allocation of government jobs left more than 40 people dead and hundreds injured.

The US Department of State raised the Travel Advisory Level for Bangladesh to Level 4 — ‘Do Not Travel’.

“Do not travel to Bangladesh due to civil unrest, crime, and terrorism,” the State Department said, adding, “The department allowed for the voluntary departure of non-emergency US government employees and family members.”

“The Government of Bangladesh has declared a curfew throughout Bangladesh, ordering everyone to stay indoors. The Bangladeshi Army has been deployed throughout the country to reinforce the police. Telecommunications have been interrupted in Dhaka and across the country. Due to the security situation, there may be a delay in provision of routine consular services,” the advisory stated.

U.S.’s new advisory

The U.S. State Department said crimes such as muggings, burglaries, assaults, and illegal drug trafficking constitute the majority of criminal activity in Bangladesh’s major cities, but there are no indications foreigners are being targeted because of their nationality. These crimes tend to be situational, based on time and location, it said.

The advisory said attacks can happen with little or no warning, with terrorists targeting public areas such as tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, restaurants, places of worship, school campuses, and government facilities.

Because of the security concerns, the U.S. Embassy personnel in Bangladesh are subject to some movement and travel restrictions.

The U.S. government may have limited ability to provide emergency services to its citizens in Bangladesh due to these travel restrictions, a lack of infrastructure and limited host government emergency response resources, it said.

The department asked U.S. nationals to take certain precautions, such as avoiding demonstrations and political gatherings, monitoring local media for breaking events and being prepared to adjust plans, in case they decide to travel to Bangladesh.

“Do not physically resist any robbery attempt. Get to a safe area and report any criminal incident to local authorities. Enrol in the Smart Traveller Enrolment Program to receive alerts including updates on consular services so that it is easier to locate you in an emergency,” the other recommendations from the State Department stated.