Nearly 1,000 Indian Students Return from Bangladesh Amid Protests Claiming 115 Lives

Nearly 1,000 Indian Students Return from Bangladesh Amid Protests Claiming 115 Lives

The High Commission of India in Dhaka and the Assistant High Commissions in Chittagong, Rajshahi, Sylhet, and Khulna have been supporting repatriation efforts since the unrest in Bangladesh, according to the ministry of external affairs (MEA), which announced on Saturday the safe return of 778 Indian students from Bangladesh via land ports, bringing the total number of returnees to 998. According to the ministry, security escorts have been set up for secure road transportation during repatriation through specific land ports, and the High Commission in Dhaka is working with commercial airlines and Bangladeshi civil aviation authorities to guarantee continuous flying services.

Following deadly student-led protests against government job quotas, which according to an AFP count of victims recorded by police and hospitals have resulted in at least 115 fatalities this week, the capital city of Dhaka has been placed under curfew. Protests broke out in response to contentious government employment quotas, which included a 30% allotment for the kin of those who fought for Pakistan’s independence. Even though the quota system was eliminated in 2018, a court reinstated it last month, which caused a great deal of unhappiness among young people who already have high unemployment rates.

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A nationwide curfew has been implemented by the administration of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, along with the deployment of the military. The curfew was slightly eased on Saturday for two hours, but it will remain in place until Sunday at 10 a.m., at which point the authorities will reevaluate the situation. AFP was provided with accounts by hospital workers that indicate almost half of the deaths reported this week have been caused by police fire. According to a statement from Amnesty International, Babu Ram Pant, “the rising death toll is a shocking indictment of the absolute intolerance shown by the Bangladeshi authorities to protest and dissent.”