New Delhi: Amid a massive political crisis in Bangladesh that saw the country’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fleeing the country, the Border Security Force (BSF) has issued a high alert along the India-Bangladesh border. BSF Director General Daljit Singh Chaudhary reached Kolkata on Monday amid the alert. Both India and Bangladesh share a nearly 400 km border.
‘Field commanders’ asked to be on the ground’
Speaking to the news agency PTI, a senior officer said that field commanders have been asked to be “on the ground” and “deploy all personnel on border duty immediately” in the last few weeks since the crisis started in the country. However, now all units of the BSF have been asked to “acquire an all alert posture”, he further said.
The neighbouring country saw over 100 people being killed in the last two days. In recent times, Bangladesh has witnessed massive protests across the country over a quota system that gives 30 percent job reservation for the families of veterans who fought the 1971 liberation war for the country.
On Monday, thousands of protesters in the country vandalised the official residence of Sheikh Hasina in the country’s capital of Dhaka. They also smashed a statue of her father Mujibur Rahman and also set her party’s offices on fire. The increasing protests forces Hasina to resign as the PM earlier in the day and flee the country. While there is no confirmation of where she is heading, she was reported to be flying over India.
Security beefed up at Bangladesh High Commission
Security has also been beefed up at Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi amid the crisis. The Centre has also cancelled the services of the Kolkata-Dhaka-Kolkata Maitree Express on Tuesday, the Eastern Railway said. The express train had not been operational since July 19.
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