SHILLONG, July 19: Eighty students from Meghalaya have been safely evacuated from violence-hit Bangladesh through the Dawki border.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Friday said they were among 405 students from India, Bhutan, and Nepal evacuated through Dawki so far.
“The state government is in touch with the Indian Embassy in Dhaka for the continued movement of the students. The biggest challenge is to evacuate 36 students in an eastern medical college in Bangladesh,” he said.
The chief minister said the state government is in touch with officials in Bangladesh and although the college authorities are claiming the situation is fine, the government is not taking any chances.
“Until we are not sure about the safety of the route, we will have to watch the situation,” he said.
The students stuck in the medical college are expected to be evacuated in the next 24 hours and they could be evacuated through Tripura’s border with Bangladesh.
The Meghalaya government does not have details of how many students from the state are stuck in Bangladesh and it is getting all the information from the Indian Embassy and other sources.
Sangma said a proposal for an online portal where all students studying outside the state will have to register will be cleared in the next Cabinet meeting. This will help the government keep data so that they can be easily tracked in any emergency.
At least 39 people were killed in Bangladesh as the students’ protests against civil service hiring rules intensified. Police clashed with hundreds of protesters in Dhaka, firing rubber bullets.
The Meghalaya government has been in constant touch with the Bangladesh High Commission, the Indian High Commission, the Land Port Authority Dawki and the Exporters’ Association for the safety of the students from the state.
Additional Superintendent of Police in Jowai, Hiwot Rymbai (+91-9615716153) has been deputed as a nodal officer at the border along with the executive officer of the Land Port Authority Dawki, Thomas (+91-84150 60802) as the assistant nodal officer. Helpline number 1800 345 3644 has also been activated.
