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.
Many of the students who returned were pursuing MBBS degrees and most of them were from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Meghalaya and Jammu and Kashmir.
Two key routes used by the students to return on Friday were the international land port at Akhurah near Agartala in Tripura and the international land port at Dawki in Meghalaya.
The students said they were waiting and watching but finally decided to temporarily leave Bangladesh after a near-total shutdown of the internet was put into effect on Thursday and telephone services were also severely impacted, effectively cutting them off from their families.
“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,” said Aamir from Haryana.
Mohammed Faiz Abdullah Khan, another student from the same college, said things were normal as far as they were concerned until Tuesday, when they were asked not to leave their accommodations or the hostel premises.
“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 said.
Several Indian students reached home taking a six-hour-long journey through a taxi, and a security escort.
In Meghalaya, officials said over 200 Indians crossed the border because of the protests. A few students from Bhutan and Nepal have also entered India.
An official said 67 of the students were from Meghalaya and seven from Bhutan, adding that the state government was in touch with the Bangladesh High Commission and the Bangladesh Land Port Authority to facilitate the safe return of Indians.
The Quota Row
The conflicts between students, government supporters, and security personnel have resulted in over 2,500 injuries and at least 104 fatalities. After a high court restored a thirty percent reservation in government positions for the relatives of independence fighters and veterans of Bangladesh’s 1971 War of Independence, protests got underway last month.
Opponents of the quota, who point out that it only benefits the ruling Awami League party led by Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of Bangladesh’s founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, had the Supreme Court of Bangladesh suspending the quota later on; however, the government is contesting the verdict.
MS Hasina has been accused of using the reservation to reward party loyalists, and protesters argue that their job prospects are hindered because of it.
On Wednesday, Ms Hasina appeared on television to address protesters, who responded a day later by setting fire to a building owned by the state broadcaster which had telecast the speech.
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