International Desk

Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina's plan to travel to London has run into a roadblock following the UK's hesitation to provide her refuge and she is likely to prolong her stay in India for the next couple of days, sources said Tuesday.

Hasina, who landed at the Hindon airbase on Monday in a C-130J military transport aircraft hours after resigning as the prime minister, has been shifted to an unspecified location in Delhi under tight security, they said.

The former Bangladesh prime minister, accompanied by her sister Sheikh Rehana, planned to leave for London from India to take temporary refuge but the option is not being pursued now. This is after the UK government indicated that she may not get legal protection against any possible probe into the massive violent protests in her country, they said.

Hasina is now known to be considering several options including the United Arab Emirates, Belarus, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Finland, said a source.

The Awami League leader planned to travel to London through India and her aides informed Indian authorities about it before she landed in Hindon on Monday, the people cited above said.

Hasina decided to travel to London as Rehana's daughter Tulip Siddiq is a member of the British Parliament. Tulip is economic secretary to the Treasury and Labour MP for Hampstead and Highgate.

In a statement, British foreign secretary David Lammy said in London on Monday that Bangladesh has seen unprecedented levels of violence and tragic loss of life in the last two weeks and people of the country "deserve a full and independent UN-led investigation into the events".

Under the UK's immigration rules, it is not possible to apply for asylum from outside the UK and each asylum claim is carefully considered on its individual merits on a case-by-case basis.

The UK has a record of providing protection for people who need it but at the same time there is no provision within its immigration rules for someone to be allowed to travel to the UK to seek asylum or temporary refuge, said an expert.

Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach; that is the fastest route to safety, the expert added.

Sources said Hasina has apprised New Delhi about her possible future steps. It is also learnt that Hasina has family members in Finland as well and that is why she also contemplated leaving for the northern European country.