Bangladesh Violence: Meghalaya Govt Brings Home 40 More Students From Dhaka

As the anti-quota protests in Bangladesh flare up, efforts by Meghalaya and Tripura governments, bordering the trouble-torn neighbouring nation, to evacuate Indian students and also students from Nepal and Bhutan, continues.

After evacuating 405 students yesterday, Meghalaya government evacuated 40 more students today, mostly medical students, from Dhaka.

With this evacuation, the total number of students evacuated by the Meghalaya government has reached 445. Chief Minister Conrad Sangma yesterday informed that the state government had evacuated as many as 405 students in two days from the violence-hit nation through the India-Bangladesh border in Meghalaya’s Dawki.

Taking to social media X, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma informed, “Forty Meghalaya citizens, mostly medical students, are being evacuated from Dhaka today. They will enter via Agartala and will make onward journey to Shillong.”

Chief Minister Sangma further informed that the state government is in constant touch with the Indian Embassy and medical colleges in Bangladesh to evacuate the students.

“Buses have been kept on standby in Agartala, and other logistics have been arranged to bring our students home safely,” Chief Minister Sangma said.

“Our medical students from Bangladesh have safely crossed Sonamura border in Tripura. All the formalities are being completed for their onward journey to Shillong,” Chief Minister Sangma further wrote on X.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Sangma on Friday informed that the state government would soon develop an online portal for tracking the state’s students studying abroad.

“If in the future, such a crisis-like situation arises in any part of the world, then we will be able to contact our students immediately by pulling out their details from the database, and this should help us a lot in the future,” Chief Minister Sangma had said.

Four MBBS students from Brahmanbaria Medical College and Hospital crossed into Tripura via the Agartala Integrated Check Post today; three are from Assam, and one is from Meghalaya.

Around 778 Indian students have safely returned to India through different land ports. Furthermore, approximately 200 students have flown back home via regular flight services using Dhaka and Chittagong airports, as per a statement from the MEA.

At least 115 people have died in clashes between student protestors and police in Bangladesh, according to AFP’s tally from hospital reports.

The Sheikh Hasina government has imposed a nationwide curfew from today and deployed the military in a bid to restore order.

Yesterday, demonstrators stormed a jail in Narsingdi district, freeing hundreds of inmates before setting the facility ablaze. Officials estimate that hundreds of prisoners managed to escape.

Protestors also set fire to the reception building of the state broadcaster, Bangladesh Television (BTV) shutting down transmission.

Internet ban in the country continues and even the phone connectivity is patchy.

Also Read: Bangladesh Violence: More Students from Assam, Meghalaya Return Home Via Tripura