The worsening situation in Bangladesh, which has seen widespread protests for weeks, has forced Indian students to return home using any available means, with over 300 crossing through border points in the northeast on Friday alone. Nearly 64 people have died as students across Bangladesh have clashed with security forces and pro-government activists over the reintroduction of reservation in government jobs.
The protests, which have been on for at least three weeks, escalated significantly on Monday, when violence broke out at Dhaka University. Six people were killed the next day, prompting the government to order the closure of universities across the country.
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.
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.
Quota Row
At least 64 people have been killed and over 2,500 have been injured in the clashes between students, government supporters and security forces. The protests began last month after a high court reinstated 30 per cent reservation in government jobs for family members of freedom fighters and veterans from Bangladesh's 1971 War of Independence.
Critics of the quota – which was later suspended by the supreme court but the ruling has been challenged by the government – point out that it benefits only the ruling Awami League party led by Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of Bangladesh's founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. 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.