The history of India is so remarkable that it has offered sanctuary to two leaders from neighbouring nations under very different circumstances.
The Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 after Chinese troops invaded and his religious order faced ruin. He crossed the border into India via Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh on 31 March 1959 seeking asylum.
His spiritual authority was under threat and Tibet’s people were facing repression; India provided a haven where he could continue his mission in exile. Since then he has made India his home and expressed deep gratitude for the refuge it provided.
On the other hand there is the case of Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh.
Her later tenure as Prime Minister has been described by a few as marked by authoritarianism and alleged human-rights violations, a sheer political stunt by the opposite forces, making Hasina's history demonic.
She was forced into exile in India following the July 2024 revolution in Bangladesh. A Bangladeshi tribunal has since found her guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced her to death in absentia, today.
While the Dalai Lama’s exile was primarily rooted in religious persecution the Hasina case is political in nature and thus the two situations are not strictly comparable.
Nonetheless what is striking is this, India has become the place of refuge for both a religious leader fleeing oppression and a political figure ousted amid controversy.
It illustrates India’s role as a regional shelter for diverse situations and underscores the complexity of asylum, diplomacy and regional ties.
