Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Over 300 Indian students in Bangladesh were forced to return home as the anti-quota protests, that have led to fierce clash between students and security forces, resulted in the death of 104 persons and injuries to over 2,500 people. The neighbouring nation has been witnessing widespread protests for weeks over the reintroduction of reservation in government jobs.
Students, mostly hailing from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Meghalaya and Jammu & Kashmir, returned by crossing border points in the northeast on July 19. Taking a six-hour-long journey through cabs and security escorts, the students reached India from two main routes: the international land port at Akhurah near Agartala in Tripura and the international land port at Dawki in Meghalaya.
The near-total internet shutdown and severely impacted telephone services disrupted the contact of Indian students with their families, prompting them to leave Bangladesh temporarily. The clashes between students, Government supporters and security forces began last month, however, the tensions escalated on Monday when students clashed at Dhaka University, resulting in the death of six people nd leading the Government to close all the universities in the country.
