- Monday, February 24, 2025
The students decided to return home despite the local authorities assuring them about their safety in the wake of the violence in which reportedly Pakistani students were killed.
By: Shubham Ghosh
DESPITE a number of medical colleges in Bishkek, the capital of the central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan, started online classes up to the ninth semester following the recent violence in which four Pakistani students were reportedly killed while many from south Asia got injured, most of the Indian students were heading back home.
They made a beeline for returning home despite the Kyrgyz authorities assuring them their safety. Some of the students had to return via neighbouring Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan since there were no readily available flights, enduring prolonged difficulties.
Officials of the Indian embassy in Bishkek visited various campuses in the city and met students to address their concerns last week after the violence that erupted in the city around two weeks ago, The New Indian Express reported. The students were told that the airport was open and regular flights were operating to India to take them home if they wanted.
More than 17,000 Indian students live in Kyrgyzstan, which is a popular destination for medical education, and most of them are based in Bishkek.
https://x.com/IndiaInKyrgyz/status/1794734815675326603
Some Indian students, who chose to return home, told The Tribune daily that while the situation has improved in the past few days, they still chose to return and would wait till things get normal.
“As soon as the classes got shifted to the online mode, we got a message about flights being arranged for us. Our universities only arranged for the transport to the airport with minimal charges and teacher and student coordinators came to see us off. Generally, flights from Alamty (in Kazakhstan) to India cost around Rs 10,000, these flights cost us Rs 28,000. There is a huge rush and boarding is taking hours. We would have missed our flight,” a student from Aligarh in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh was quoted as saying by the daily.
The students also said that they have got written advisories from the institutes in Kyrgyzstan against giving any audio or video interviews or post anything on social media, cautioning that it would invite strict action. They also claimed that the students were being made to sign the undertakings.
Last week, India had advised its students in Bishkek to remain indoors, days after local mobs targeted foreigners in the city, triggering concerns over the Indian students’ safety as well.
The trouble started on May 13 when the local people engaged into altercation, reportedly with Pakistani students, and it soon snowballed with physical attacks. There were no reports of Indian students being harmed but since they were staying in nearby hostels, they were advised to stay indoors.
The Kyrgyz foreign ministry urged students to ignore rumours being spread.
The Indian students also spoke about their days of remaining confined to their apartments without essentials and food. A number of states in India, including Telangana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat urged the Narendra Modi government to ensure that the students returned home safely.
The Pakistani government also evacuated several thousands of its students from Kyrgyzstan.
