Air India said on Monday it cancelling flights to and from Dhaka with immediate effect in view of the emerging situation in Bangladesh, where sudden developments amid deadly protests led to Sheikh Hasina fleeing the country after resigning from prime ministership and the army announcing the formation of an interim government.
Multiple agencies in India, including the Border Security Force (BSF), went into alert mode in the wake of the developments in the neighbouring country, while the Delhi Police beefed up security at the Bangladesh High Commission on Monday. Bangladesh Unrest LIVE Updates
Amid the back-to-back developments, Air India announced the cancellation of flights to and from Bangladesh's Dhaka. "We are continuously monitoring the situation and are extending support to our passengers with confirmed bookings for travel to and from Dhaka with a one-time waiver on rescheduling and cancellation charges. Safety of our guests and crew remains our foremost priority," Air India said.
IndiGo Airlines also later announced that it is cancelling all Dhaka flights for August 6. Meanwhile, a Dhaka-bound IndiGo flight from Chennai was diverted to Kolkata following the unrest in Bangladesh. The flight landed at Kolkata at 4.56pm and left for Chennai after refuelling.
Kolkata airport received a message from the Dhaka airport in the afternoon that it would be closed till 22.30 pm, according to another official.
Thousands of protesters in Bangladesh on Monday looted and vandalised Sheikh Hasina's official residence in the capital Dhaka, smashed a statue of her father Mujibur Rahman with hammers and set her party's offices on fire as they celebrated her departure as Prime Minister.
The protests, which started last month initially with a demand to end the quota system that reserved 30 per cent of government jobs for the families of veterans who fought in Bangladesh's war of independence against Pakistan in 1971, later turned into anti-government demonstrations.
The Army Chief announced her resignation in a dramatic development amid massive protests against her government that claimed more than 100 lives in the last two days and over 300 since July. The violence forced authorities to enforce a nationwide curfew for an indefinite period.
