Over 300 Indian students crossed via border crossings in the northeast on Friday alone as a result of the deteriorating conditions in Bangladesh, which have seen major protests for weeks. Students in Bangladesh have clashed with security forces and pro-government groups over the reinstatement of reservation in government jobs, resulting in over 100 deaths.
The demonstrations, which have been going on for the past three weeks, got much worse on Monday when there was violence at Dhaka University. After six fatalities the next day, the government ordered all colleges in the nation to close.
The majority of the returning students were from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Meghalaya, and Jammu and Kashmir, and many of them were seeking MBBS degrees. The international land ports at Dawki in Meghalaya and Akhurah in Agartala in Tripura were the two main routes taken by the students on Friday as they returned.
The students stated that after over a week of internet and phone service disruptions on Thursday, which virtually cut them off from their family, they finally made the decision to temporarily leave Bangladesh. Before then, they had been waiting and observing.
“I attend the Marine City Medical College and Hospital in Chittagong as a second-year student. We have returned because things are getting worse and because a lot of limitations have been placed in place. Numerous additional pupils have also returned. We were unable to contact our families since the internet was down. We were forced to travel by road to Agartala rather than by plane since we were unable to obtain airline tickets,” stated Aamir from Haryana.
Several Indian students returned home after a six-hour taxi journey, accompanied by a security escort. In Meghalaya, officials reported that over 200 Indians crossed the border due to the ongoing protests. Some students from Bhutan and Nepal also entered India. An official mentioned that 67 of these students were from Meghalaya and seven were from Bhutan, noting that the state government was coordinating with the Bangladesh High Commission and the Bangladesh Land Port Authority to ensure the safe return of Indians.
–Simran
