- Monday, March 10, 2025
Indian High Commission in Dhaka and the assistant high commissions in Chittagong, Rajshahi, Sylhet and Khulna have been assisting the return of Indian nationals home
By: Shajil Kumar
MORE than 4,500 Indian students have returned home from Bangladesh as violent clashes continue and have claimed more than 140 lives.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Sunday (21) that 500 students from Nepal, 38 from Bhutan and one from the Maldives have also arrived in India.
It said the Indian missions in Bangladesh are in regular touch with local authorities for the safety and security of Indian nationals.
“Thus far, over 4,500 Indian students have returned to India. The High Commission has been making arrangements for security escort for safe travel of Indian nationals to the border-crossing points,” the MEA said.
It said the Indian High Commission in Dhaka and the assistant high commissions in Chittagong, Rajshahi, Sylhet and Khulna have been assisting the return of Indian nationals home.
“The Ministry of External Affairs has also been coordinating with relevant Indian authorities to ensure a smooth passage for our citizens at land-ports and airports,” it said in a statement.
The high commission is also coordinating with the civil aviation authorities of Bangladesh and commercial airlines to ensure the availability of flight services between India and Bangladesh, the ministry said.
The MEA said the Indian missions are also in regular contact with the remaining Indian students in various universities in Bangladesh and with Indian nationals for their welfare and assistance.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Friday said the total number of Indian nationals in Bangladesh is estimated to be around 15,000, including 8,500 students.
Bangladesh has been reeling under deadly clashes, with protesting students demanding that the Sheikh Hasina-led government scrap a controversial job-quota system.
Court overturns order
Meanwhile on Sunday (21) the Supreme Court ordered that 93 per cent of government jobs should be allocated on the basis of merit, against earlier quotas of 56 per cent for groups such as families of freedom fighters, women, and people from underdeveloped areas.
Bangladesh appeared calm on Monday amid a curfew, but widespread disruption of telecoms persisted a day after the Supreme Court order.
Clashes between student protesters and security forces erupted across Bangladesh after the high court last month reinstated job reservations removed by prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s government in 2018.
The protesters have set a 48-hour deadline for the government to meet new demands. “We will continue our protests until the government publishes the verdict in the gazette,” said a Dhaka University student, speaking on condition of anonymity, in a reference to the government’s official record of decisions.
Student protesters have also demanded the release of detained protest leaders, the lifting of curfew and the re-opening of universities shut since Wednesday.
They gave the government 48 hours to act, but it was not immediately clear what would happen afterwards.
There were no reports of violence or protests on Monday and the media said the curfew would be relaxed for three hours in the afternoon, extended from two hours the previous day, so that people could buy essentials.
Army tanks were seen stationed at several places in the streets of Dhaka, the capital, while armed security patrols directed the few motorists who ventured out.
Department stores said they were running out of stocks because of supply disruptions following the curbs. The suspension of internet services also affected travel plans and essential services.
Several migrant workers gathered at the offices of an airline on Sunday to collect tickets booked online, while others collected at the office of a power distribution company in Dhaka’s Tejgaon area to pay electricity bills in person.
The internet disruption also affected activity at the southern port of Chittagong, where security was tightened on Monday.
Thousands were injured in last week’s protests as security forces fired tear gas, rubber bullets, and sound grenades to scatter the demonstrators.
Experts have blamed the unrest on stagnant job growth in the private sector and high rates of youth unemployment that have made government jobs, with their regular wage hikes and other privileges, more attractive.
Hasina, who was sworn in for a fourth consecutive term this year, has been accused of authoritarianism, human rights violations, and crackdowns on free speech and dissent in the past – charges her government denies. (Agencies)
