India monitoring situation with regard to minorities in Bangladesh: Jaishankar in RS

NEW DELHI: India is monitoring the situation with regard to minorities in Bangladesh and is in "close and continuous" touch with the Indian community there through its diplomatic missions, the government informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

In a statement to the Upper House, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also briefed the MPs on former prime minister Sheikh Hasina's "very short notice" request to come to India "for the moment".

He said India has instructed its border guarding forces to be exceptionally alert in view of this complex and still evolving situation in the neighbouring country.

"There are an estimated 19,000 Indian nationals there, of which about 9,000 are students. The bulk of the students, however, have already returned to India in the month of July," Jaishankar told the Upper House.

"On August 5, demonstrators converged in Dhaka despite curfew. Our understanding is that after a meeting with leaders of the security establishment, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina apparently made the decision to resign. At very short notice, she requested approval to come for the moment to India," he said.

"We simultaneously received a request for flight clearance from Bangladesh authorities. She arrived yesterday evening in Delhi. The situation in Bangladesh is still evolving," he said.

"Army Chief General Waqar-uz-Zaman, addressed the nation on August 5. He spoke about assuming responsibility and constituting an interim government. We are in close and continuous touch with the Indian community in Bangladesh through our diplomatic missions," Jaishankar said.

India is also monitoring the situation with regard to the status of minorities, he said.