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THE WEEK
The Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday announced that 778 Indian students safely returned from violence-hit Bangladesh.
With this, the number of Indian students returning home has reached 998 so far. Earlier, 200 students came back by flights from Dhaka and Chittagong. Several flights have been cancelled and many students are unable to reach airports due to curfew.
Over 4,000 more students are remaining in Bangladesh universities, according to the ministry, which said that the High Commission of India in Dhaka and the Assistant High Commissions are providing them necessary assistance.
“The High Commission of India in Dhaka and our Assistant High Commissions are in regular touch with more than 4,000 students remaining in various universities in Bangladesh and are providing necessary assistance,” the MEA said.
Several students from Nepal and Bhutan have also crossed Indian border as violence continues in the neighbouring country.
The protests in Bangladesh are directed towards the government job quota, which allocated 30 per cent reservation for relatives of those who fought for independence from Pakistan. The reservation system, which was scrapped in 2018, was reinstated in June, sparking outrage among the country’s unemployed youth.
On Monday, several protesting students had clashed with pro-government protesters and police over the issue. The protesters argue that the quota system is discriminatory and sought to replace it with a merit-based system.