Pupils heave a sigh of relief after crossing over to India
Fulbari (India-Bangladesh Border): The civil strife in Bangladesh has triggered an exodus, especially among the student community from India, Nepal and Bhutan, hurriedly returning from the country. The situation in Bangladesh remains tense with student protests against quota for government jobs. The government announced a nationwide curfew from Saturday. There is a telecommunications blackout in the country.
After the announcement, residents, mainly students of India, Nepal, Bhutan have started returning home through the international borders in North Bengal. Fulbari, 14 km from Siliguri is the border of choice, especially for Nepal citizens with its close proximity to Nepal. The fear in their eyes is clearly evident, heaving a sigh of relief after crossing over to India. Lallan Thakur, a resident of Bihar and a third year student of Dhaka Community Medical College, said: “We were scared. We were not allowed to go outside. There was no internet service. We were locked inside our hostel from July 17. We were also instructed to stay inside the hostel by the Indian Embassy. However, we reserved a private car and came to Siliguri via the India-Bangladesh border at Fulbari. Some of my fellow students who are from Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra are still in the hostel in Bangladesh.”
Suraj Thapa, a resident of Nepal and a student of electrical engineering who has been studying at Sheikh Rehana Textile Engineering College in Gopalganj, Bangladesh, said: “The situation in Bangladesh is worsening day-by-day. Students and police are on the streets, clashing with each other. There was no internet service. Important messages were sent to us through SMC. We were afraid. Therefore, we booked cars ourselves and returned.” Balaram Chandra Barman, a resident of Hatiyadanga Siliguri who went to Bangladesh for some work, returned to Siliguri hurriedly. “I went to Bangladesh on June 11. The major problem was in Dhaka, where I was located. All services had been suspended there. I somehow managed to flee the area and save my life.”
On the other hand there are many from Bangladesh who have come to India for different reasons, mainly treatment is spending sleepless nights. Chiranjit Roy, a resident of Birganj Upazilla, Bangladesh, who came to India for treatment, said: “The government of Bangladesh should think about the students. Imposing a curfew has worsened the situation. Peace has to be restored at any cost in our country.”
