More than 300 Indian students crossed through border crossings in the northeast on Friday alone as a result of the worsening situation in Bangladesh, which has seen major protests for weeks. Students in Bangladesh have clashed with security forces and pro-government groups over the reintroduction of reservation in government jobs, resulting in over 100 deaths.
The protests which have been going on for the past three weeks, got much worse on Monday when there was violence at Dhaka University. After six deaths 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 pursuing MBBS degrees. The international land ports at Dawki in Meghalaya and Akhurah in Agartala in Tripura were the two main routes the students took on Friday as they returned.
After a nearly complete internet shutdown on Thursday and significant disruptions to phone connections, which virtually cut them off from their family, the students said they were watching and waiting but ultimately decided to leave Bangladesh temporarily.
"I am a second-year student at the Marine City Medical College and Hospital in Chittagong. The situation is getting worse and many restrictions have been put in place, which is why we have returned. Many other students have also come back. The internet is not working and we were not able to get in touch with our families. We could not get flight tickets and had to take the road route to Agartala instead of flying home," Aamir from Haryana stated.
Another student from the same college, Mohammed Faiz Abdullah Khan, stated that everything was normal in their eyes up until Tuesday when they received instructions not to leave their housing or the hostel grounds.
"That's when we found out a quota movement was on. College authorities said the institution would remain shut and, when we spoke to the principal, he suggested that we could return to India if we were feeling insecure. People at the Indian Embassy also gave us the same advice and asked us to get in touch with them if we found it difficult to arrange transportation. We took a cab to the Agartala border and have just crossed over," Mr Khan stated.
A few Indian students traveled six hours in a taxi with a security guard to get home.
Over 200 Indians reportedly crossed the border in Meghalaya as a result of the protests, according to officials there. India has also welcomed a small number of students from Nepal and Bhutan.
In order to ensure that Indians could return safely, an official stated that 67 of the students were from Meghalaya and seven were from Bhutan. The state administration was also in contact with the Bangladesh Land Port Authority and the Bangladesh High Commission.
Row Quota
The conflict between students, government supporters, and security personnel has resulted in at least 104 deaths and over 2,500 injuries. Following the restoration of a thirty percent reservation in government positions for veterans and family members of independence fighters from Bangladesh's 1971 War of Independence, a high court sparked protests last month.
Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of Bangladesh's founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, leads the ruling Awami League party, which is the only party benefiting from the quota, according to critics. The quota was later suspended by the Bangladesh Supreme Court, but the government is challenging the decision. Protesters claim that their employment chances are hampered by Ms. Hasina's alleged manipulation of the reservation as a means of rewarding party disciples.
Ms. Hasina addressed protesters on television on Wednesday. The protestors responded by burning down the state broadcaster's facility, which had broadcast the speech, the next day.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Priyanka Pandey/MSM)
