Amid some recent reports circulating across sections of the media and social platforms, claims suggesting that former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina faces a threat to her life while staying in India are being viewed with scepticism in security circles.
Sources familiar with the matter indicate that Indian security agencies do not share the alarmist assessment being projected in some reports. On the contrary, the prevailing view within the establishment here is that there is no credible or specific threat perception sufficient to trigger extraordinary concern.
Sources conveyed that Hasina remains under a robust security umbrella and continues to be treated as an honoured guest of the Indian state. According to sources, the suggestion that hostile elements could penetrate India’s security architecture to target a former head of government is being considered as exaggerated.
The reports had triggered speculation because of Hasina’s highly polarising political legacy in Bangladesh and the volatile political climate surrounding her exit from power. When Indian agencies are understood to have found no immediate intelligence input pointing towards an operational conspiracy against her on Indian soil.
Sources also brushed aside the alleged reported involvement of one Bangladeshi national, Md Zubayeed Zim, in the conspiracy as sensational and untrue. New Delhi Post also carried a similar article, authored by a writer from Dhaka. However, he failed to prove the article later when asked to provide enough proof. New Delhi Post expresses its regrets.
At another level, the denial also carries symbolic significance. By maintaining that Hasina is safe and secure in India, New Delhi is signalling confidence in its security apparatus while simultaneously reinforcing the message that a former neighbouring leader under its protection remains fully safeguarded.
For now, despite some speculative chatter, there is little indication that India perceives any imminent danger to Sheikh Hasina’s life, according to sources.
