NEW DELHI: Amid the escalation of student protests in Bangladesh, which have left over 50 dead, around 245 Indian students are returning home through the West Bengal border.
"Around 96 students crossed the border at Gede Darshana by 5.30 pm on Friday and none of the students who were waiting to cross back were left behind. Another batch of nearly 150 students are expected to cross into India during the course of the night," said a source.
Authorities on both sides of the India-Bangladesh border including immigration, Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) will be working beyond office hours to clear these students.
"Around 13 Nepalese students were also permitted to cross the border to India after their embassy made an official request to India," the source added.
Meanwhile, the Maitreyee train connecting Kolkata and Dhaka was cancelled due to the volatile situation in Bangladesh on Friday. As a result, Indian students took different routes to reach the border by early Friday morning.
"The Indian High Commission had arranged for security through SPs and DCs locally. The BSF was extremely cooperative and ensured no student was left behind," the source added.
There are over 15,000 Indians living in Bangladesh, out of which 8500 are students. The recent unrest in Bangladesh has impacted the student community who are protesting against reservations as a result of which some Indian students have chosen to return.
India had issued an advisory asking Indian students to be careful.
"In view of the ongoing situation in Bangladesh, the Indian community members and the Indian students residing in Bangladesh are advised to avoid local travel and minimise their movement outside their living premises," said a statement issued by the Indian High Commission in Bangladesh on Thursday.
Indians living in Bangladesh are advised to reach out to the High Commission in Dhaka and the Assistant High Commissions (Chittagong, Rajshahi, Sylhet, Khulna) through their 24-hour emergency helpline numbers.
With internet and mobile services unavailable for now, it is difficult to assess the ground situation even though universities and colleges have been shut down.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged students to remain calm and said she would surprise them with an announcement post the court hearing on Sunday (July 22). The hearing has been advanced due to the ongoing situation as it was earlier said to be slated for August 7th.
Protests erupted in the wake of the June 5th ruling by the Bangladesh High Court reinstating 30 per cent quota for freedom fighters and their descendants in government jobs which was repealed in 2018 after massive protests.
Bangladesh’s opposition party BNP has reportedly been supporting the cause of the protesters.
