With the help of Indian officials, over 4,500 Indian nationals and around 540 inhabitants of Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives have returned from Bangladesh in the wake of violent protests over employment quotas in the neighboring nation.
Bangladesh’s Response to Protests
Bangladesh had its nationwide curfew in place on Sunday, and the army was called in to put an end to the demonstrations that left at least 110 people dead and hundreds more injured.
Statement from the External Affairs Ministry
The External Affairs Ministry stated in a statement that more than 4,500 Indian students had returned home, while 500 students from Nepal, 38 from Bhutan, and one from the Maldives had also arrived in India.
According to the statement, the Indian high commission in Dhaka has been setting up security escorts to ensure Indian citizens’ safe passage to land border crossing locations. To guarantee the safety and security of Indian people, the high commission and assistant high commissioners in Chittagong, Rajshahi, Sylhet, and Khulna maintain constant communication with Bangladeshi authorities.
According to the statement, the missions maintain constant communication with Indian nationals and the remaining Indian students at Bangladeshi universities for their welfare and support. It was reported on Friday by the ministry of external affairs that there were around 15,000 Indians in Bangladesh, of which about 8,500 were students. A spokesman for the government had declared that every Indian was secure.
Indian people who need help can continue to reach out to the Indian missions in Bangladesh using their emergency contact lines.
West Bengal Chief Minister’s Statement
Shortly after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stated on Sunday that she would be prepared to take in and house Bangladeshi citizens in need in her state, those with knowledge of the situation stated that such cases fall under the purview of the federal government.
Since Bangladesh is a sovereign country and the Center should be the authority on matters pertaining to it, I shouldn’t be speaking on its behalf. However, I can assure you that if desperate individuals come knocking on the doors of [West] Bengal, we would undoubtedly provide them refuge, Banerjee stated during a Trinamool Congress party rally held in Kolkata.
In order to support her position, Banerjee cited the UN resolution on refugees. “This is due to a United Nations resolution that permits refugees to be resettled in areas close to areas experiencing instability,” she stated, giving the instance of Assamese citizens being permitted to reside in West Bengal’s Alipurduars district during the Bodo uprising.
But one of the individuals mentioned above, who wished to remain anonymous, stated, “The Union government handles these problems. A state government’s remarks are completely out of place since they have no locus standi on the matter.
According to Banerjee, her administration would support West Bengalis who may have had relatives who became stuck in Bangladesh as a result of the unrest. She said that support will be given to the West Bengali people of Bangladesh who are having trouble going back home.
Appeal for Calm
She pleaded with the West Bengalis not to become enraged at the present state of affairs in Bangladesh. She stated, “We should be cautious and avoid provoking or becoming overly excited about this issue.”
Bangladesh Supreme Court‘s Decision
In the meantime, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh overturned a high court ruling on Sunday that restored employment quotas for relatives of liberation war soldiers from 1971. The violent demonstrations were mostly led by students, and they began after the high court’s June order.
The anti-job quota movement’s organizers, however, assured the media that their demonstrations would go on even after the Supreme Court’s decision. The organizers called for the prosecution of those who killed students during the demonstration.
