Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said on Friday that 405 Indian students have been safely evacuated from Bangladesh through the Dawki Integrated Check Post amid escalating unrest in the country.
"We are aware of the situation in Bangladesh. Lots of students from many parts of the world are studying there, and a lot of students have been affected. As soon as we got the information, we immediately moved into action, and 405 Indian students have been evacuated from Bangladesh through Dawki. Out of them, about 80 from Meghalaya; and rest are from other parts of the country. We also evacuated some students from Nepal, Bhutan, and tourists. The movement is on," Conrad Sangma said.
He further said, "We already have nodal officers here in Meghalaya, and we are in touch with the Indian Embassy in Dhaka. The senior IPS officers are directly in touch with us to facilitate any kind of movement that is required. One particular college, Eastern Medical College, where 36 students are stranded (numbers could be up and down) we are in touch with the officials there.
He said that until it was sure that the route was cleared, the situation is needed to be observed.
"Lots of parents are very concerned about the situation, and I want to share that we are continuously in touch and the situation in and around the college is okay. But en route, there could be some situation, and therefore it is not possible to take a chance. Unless and until we are very sure that the route is also cleared, they can be safely brought to the border, we will have to watch the situation. Those activities are on, and we are hopeful that in the next 24 hours we will assess the situation," he added.
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He said that everything was being done within its capacity to ensure the safe return of all the citizens.
"We are ready from the Tripura side, and we are in touch with the Tripura side and the High Commission in Bangladesh as well. So that we can evacute other students immediately from there. We are doing everything in our power to ensure the safe return of all the citizens. We have made arrangements in Dawki in terms of everything from medical attention to food, transportation, , security. We also have the helpline numbers," he added.
The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday directed the Indian nationals in Bangladesh to follow the advisory issued by the High Commission of India in Dhaka, which says they must avoid local travels amid violent quota protests.
MEA Advisory for Indians in Bangladesh
The MEA advisory stated that the High Commission and Assistant High Commissions will be available on helpline numbers for any assistance required by Indian nationals and also advised them to minimise their movement outside their living premises.
In a post on X, the MEA said, "Indian nationals in Bangladesh are requested to follow the advisory issued by the High Commission of India in Dhaka. The High Commission and Assistant High Commissions remain available on helpline numbers for any assistance required by Indian nationals."
