Bangladesh clashes: Over 1,000 Indians return home; Nepal students cross over too
MEA updates on social media that 778 Indian students have returned to their homeland through various land ports while around 200 have returned by flight
Over 1,000 citizens of India, Nepal, and Bhutan have crossed over to Meghalaya from violence-hit Bangladesh, taking the total number of people taking refuge in the state to over 1,300.
On Saturday (July 20), the Ministry of External Affairs updated on its X handle that 778 Indian students have returned to their homeland through various land ports while around 200 have returned by flight.
Nepali students rescued
Till 8 pm on Friday, 245 Indians, including 125 students, had returned to India, officials had said, adding the Indian high commission also facilitated the return of 13 Nepali students.
On Saturday (July 20), a senior home department official updated that 363 people had reached Meghalaya through the Dawki Integrated Check Post on Friday. Of them, 204 are Indians, 158 are Nepali and one person is from Bhutan.
Border crossings open
So far, 80 residents of Meghalaya, mostly students, have crossed over to the state. Of the 80 people, 13 entered their home state on Friday. The Meghalaya government has activated a helpline number, 1800-345-3644, for the state’s citizens in Bangladesh to help them because of the violence in the neighbouring country.
The India-Bangladesh border crossings — Benapole-Petrapole and Gede-Darshana in West Bengal, and Akhaura-Agartala in Tripura — will remain open for students and Indian nationals to return home, sources told news agency PTI.
The High Commission of India, in coordination with BSF and Bureau of Immigration, is facilitating the return of Indian students from Bangladesh, they added.
MBBS students
According to an NDTV report, many of the students who crossed over to India were pursuing MBBS degrees, and most of them were from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Meghalaya, and Jammu and Kashmir.
The situation was getting worse and many restrictions had been put in place, a second-year medical student told NDTV. Another student said they could not get flight tickets and had to leave for Agartala by road.
Cut off from families
The students told the news channel they waited for things to normalise but finally decided to leave after getting cut off from their families as the government clamped a near-total Internet shutdown on Thursday and telephone lines were also majorly hit.
One student said the Indian Embassy had offered to arrange transportation if they found it difficult to do so. He added that they had taken a taxi to the Agartala border and then crossed over.
Several Indian students reached home by road, with security escort.
Students’ protest
Bangladesh has been reeling under deadly clashes, with protesting students demanding that the Sheikh Hasina-led government scrap a controversial job quota system. Around 40–45 people have been killed in the clashes that began weeks ago.
The situation in Bangladesh deteriorated this week, prompting authorities to stop bus and train services and shutting down schools and universities across the country.
Indians safe: MEA
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing that 15,000 Indians, including 8,500 students, in Bangladesh are safe. Official sources said the Indian High Commission in Dhaka is coordinating with local authorities to provide adequate security to Indian students wishing to return to India.
“We have issued an advisory for Indian nationals, including our students, resident in Bangladesh for their safety and assistance if required,” Jaiswal said.
Helpline numbers
The Indian high commission has already activated helpline numbers that are operating 24x7, he said. “Our High Commission will be providing regular updates. I will also be posting regular updates. I would urge family members to follow us for the latest developments,” he said.
“We remain committed to providing all possible assistance to our nationals in Bangladesh,” Jaiswal said.
EAM monitoring situation
India on Friday described the violent protests in Bangladesh as an “internal” matter of Dhaka but at the same time said it was closely monitoring the situation in the context of 15,000 Indians residing in that country.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is himself following the matter closely in the context of safety of the Indians, Jaiswal said.
(With agency inputs)
