Following the ouster of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government, Indian security agencies were on high alert, anticipating a potential contingency. Hasina was en route to India seeking refuge aboard an Air Force jet. Indian Air Force radars diligently monitored the airspace over Bangladesh and detected a low-flying aircraft approaching India around 3 PM.
Sources revealed that the aircraft was granted entry into Indian airspace after air defense personnel identified the passengers. To ensure the plane’s safety, two Rafale fighter jets from the 101 squadron stationed at Hashimara air base in West Bengal were scrambled and deployed over Bihar and Jharkhand.
The aircraft’s flight path was closely observed by ground-based agencies, maintaining constant communication with top Indian security officials. The Indian Air Force Chief, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, and the Army Chief, Gen Upendra Dwivedi, closely monitored the situation.
Simultaneously, a high-level meeting involving top security officials, including intelligence agency chiefs, Gen Dwivedi, and Integrated Defence Staff chief Lt Gen Johnson Philip Mathew, was convened.
Hasina’s jet touched down at Hindan air base around 5:45 PM, where she was met by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Doval engaged in a one-hour meeting with Hasina to discuss the ongoing situation in Bangladesh and her future course of action. Subsequently, the NSA left the airbase to brief the Cabinet Committee of Security meeting led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Prime Minister was kept informed of all developments throughout the day.
