SHILLONG: Meghalaya's Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has confirmed that 36 students from Meghalaya are currently stranded in Bangladesh because of violent protests over reservation issues there. These students are studying at Eastern Medical College in Bangladesh.
The Meghalaya government has successfully brought back more than 405 students from Bangladesh through the Dawki land port in the West Jaintia Hills District.
Among those evacuated, 80 are from Meghalaya, 131 from other Indian states, 249 from Nepal, and 8 from Bhutan. Additionally, four tourists have also been evacuated.
Describing the protests as "unfortunate," Sangma mentioned that once they received the information, they acted quickly.
He also noted that nearly 405 students from India had been evacuated through Dawki, including about 80 from Meghalaya. Additionally, there were students from Bhutan and Nepal, as well as some tourists who had crossed the border at Dawki.
CM Sangma assured that the Meghalaya government is keeping in close touch with the Indian Embassy in Dhaka to help with any further movements. He acknowledged concerns about the safety of students at Eastern Medical College and highlighted that they are working closely with both the college officials and the Indian Embassy.
The Meghalaya government also plans to set up an online portal to gather contact details of all students from the state who are studying abroad. This proposal will be discussed at the next cabinet meeting for approval.
In a dramatic escalation of the student protests in Bangladesh, demonstrators stormed a jail in the central district of Narsingdi on Friday. They freed hundreds of inmates and then set the facility on fire.
The jailbreak happened during a violent crackdown on student protests that have spread across Bangladesh, leading to at least 50 deaths this week.
What began as a protest against government job quotas has expanded into a broader movement against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government. Some analysts believe the violence is also being fueled by wider economic issues, including high inflation, rising unemployment, and dwindling foreign exchange reserves.
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