India Evacuates Non-Essential Staff from Bangladesh Amid Protests

India Evacuates Non-Essential Staff from Bangladesh Amid Protests

India has evacuated non-essential embassy staff and their families from Bangladesh amidst massive protests, while the High Commission continues to operate with essential personnel.

Key Points
  • India evacuates non-essential embassy staff and their families from Bangladesh amid protests.
  • The High Commission and consulates continue to operate with essential personnel.
  • Principal officers, including the High Commissioner, remain at their posts in Dhaka.
  • Evacuation was conducted via commercial flights on a voluntary basis.
  • Protests over job quotas for freedom fighters’ families led to Sheikh Hasina’s resignation and significant unrest.

In response to escalating unrest in Bangladesh, India has evacuated all non-essential staff and their families from its embassy and consulates in the country. This move follows massive protests over job quotas that forced Sheikh Hasina to step down as Bangladesh’s prime minister and flee the country.

Sources confirmed that the High Commission in Dhaka continues to function with a skeletal staff, while the evacuated personnel returned to India voluntarily. Despite the turmoil, principal officers, including the High Commissioner of India to Dhaka, remain at their posts, ensuring that essential operations continue.

The evacuation was carried out using commercial flights, and the High Commission remains operational, with dedicated personnel maintaining crucial functions amid the ongoing unrest. Alongside the High Commission in the capital, India has assistant high commissions or consulates in several other cities, including Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna, and Sylhet.

The protests initially centered around the country’s job quota system for the families of freedom fighters but gradually took on an anti-government stance. Demonstrators called for Sheikh Hasina’s resignation, and the situation escalated to the point where nearly 300 people were killed as authorities attempted to disperse the crowds and contain the nationwide protests.

As the situation in Bangladesh remains volatile, the Indian government’s prompt evacuation efforts reflect its commitment to the safety and security of its diplomatic staff and their families. The ongoing presence of principal officers underscores the importance of maintaining diplomatic relations and operations even amid significant political upheaval.