As the aircraft of the deposed Bangladeshi prime minister, Sheikh Hasina Wajed, landed at an airbase near New Delhi on Monday evening, a new era dawned for her country, for South Asia, and for India’s place in the region. After ruling Bangladesh for 15 years, Ms Wajed was apparently given 15 minutes to fly out of the prime minister’s residence before she was brought to India from where she is expected to leave for London where she has sought exile. Her dramatic fall from a popular democrat elected with a large mandate in 2009 to a leader deemed authoritarian by many in Bangladesh caps weeks of violent clashes between student-led protesters and security forces. More than 300 people are believed to have been killed in the violence. While the protests began in opposition to a controversial job quota, they subsequently morphed into calls for broader change in Bangladesh. When the protests resumed over the weekend after a few days of uneasy calm, the demand was even clearer: the protesters insisted that Ms Wajed must resign. Now, the Bangladesh military is in charge and has announced that an interim government, which could include some of whom Ms Wajed’s administration had blamed for the violence, would be formed soon.

Even for a country that has witnessed multiple military coups, Ms Wajed’s ouster from power is unprecedented. While there is little doubt that she had lost the popular support of the people, how Bangladesh proceeds from here is unclear. Will the student movement that forced Ms Wajed out renew Bangladesh’s commitment to democracy? Will the country’s military cede power to democratic parties? This is also a pivotal moment for India, its relationship with Bangladesh, and its role as South Asia’s principal force. Its reputation in Bangladesh as a backer of Ms Wajed’s government will be reinforced by India’s role in helping her flee. New Delhi must indeed stand by its allies, including Ms Wajed. But it ought to reflect on whether it could have done more to nudge her away from the path she took, especially in recent years, weakening democracy and adopting confrontation over dialogue. It should also immediately begin conversations with Bangladesh’s army chief and reach out to other important political parties in Dhaka, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party of the former prime minister, Khaleda Zia. While it is a new beginning in Bangladesh, India needs a fresh approach too in order to safeguard its interests in the region.