UK urges UN investigation into violence in Bangladesh, asylum for Sheikh Hasina remains unclear

The British government has urged the United Nations to lead an investigation into the recent violent incidents in Bangladesh, which prompted ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to initially flee to India and reportedly seek asylum in the UK.

Sunita Iyer

First Published Aug 6, 2024, 4:44 PM IST | Last Updated Aug 6, 2024, 4:44 PM IST

Foreign Secretary David Lammy has condemned the “unprecedented levels of violence and tragic loss of life” witnessed in Bangladesh over the past two weeks, emphasizing the UK's commitment to supporting a democratic resolution for the country.

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While there has been no official statement from the government regarding Hasina's reported asylum request, Home Office sources have noted that UK immigration regulations do not specifically facilitate asylum applications for individuals traveling to the UK for this purpose.

“The last two weeks in Bangladesh have seen unprecedented levels of violence and tragic loss of life. A transitional period has been announced by the Chief of the Army Staff,” reads David Lammy’s statement.

“All sides now need to work together to end the violence, restore calm, deescalate the situation and prevent any further loss of life. The people of Bangladesh deserve a full and independent UN-led investigation into the events of the past few weeks,” the foreign minister said.

“The UK wants to see action taken to ensure Bangladesh a peaceful and democratic future. The UK and Bangladesh have deep people-to-people links and shared Commonwealth values,” he added.

In the meantime, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar informed Parliament in New Delhi on Tuesday that Sheikh Hasina had arrived in the country following her forced resignation amid widespread public unrest.

“At very short notice she requested approval to come for the moment to India. We simultaneously received a request for flight clearance from Bangladesh authorities. She arrived yesterday evening in Delhi,” he said in a statement in the Rajya Sabha.

According to a PTI report quoting UK government sources, while the country has a “proud record” of providing protection, the Immigration Rules do not permit individuals to travel to the UK solely to seek asylum or temporary refuge.

According to officials, those in need of international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach, as this is considered the quickest path to safety.

It is believed that Sheikh Hasina aims to reach London, where her niece, Tulip Siddiq, a Labour MP for Hampstead and Highgate and a junior minister in the Treasury, resides.

Strategic experts note that this situation is complex for the UK, which had previously granted refuge to Sheikh Hasina’s late father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, after his release from a Pakistani jail in January 1972 following the country's struggle for independence.

“Sheikh Hasina’s desire to relocate to the UK, where her sister and niece live, puts the UK government in a dilemma. UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has called for a UN-led investigation into the violence of the past few days. If this is held, it will likely hold Sheikh Hasina accountable to some degree and would look bad for the British government if she were then in the UK with the grant of ‘political asylum’,” Rahul Roy-Chaudhury, Senior Fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London, was quoted as saying in the PTI report.

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“But, at the same time, the UK’s long-standing links with Sheikh Hasina’s family makes it difficult to ignore her request. A possible solution would be to give Sheikh Hasina leave to enter the UK where she could live in ‘self-exile’. But, with Sheikh Hasina’s niece being a Labour MP and minister, the optics of this will be challenging,” he added.

The student-led protests in Bangladesh, which began last month in response to a controversial job quota scheme, have escalated into violent anti-government demonstrations.

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