Amid the ongoing violent protest in Bangladesh a total of 6,700 Indian students have returned to India, ministry of external affairs’ spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Thursday adding that New Delhi hoped for the Dhaka situation to return to normal.
Responding to a media query on Bangladesh situation, Jaiswal said, “So far, we have had over 6,700 students who have come back from Bangladesh.We have received excellent cooperation from the Bangladeshi government. Our High Commission has arranged for their safe and secure travel to border crossing points or to the airport as the case may be.”
The student-led protests against a public jobs quota scheme have swept Bangladesh since Sunday, and met violent reprisal.
“There are helplines which are working for 24/7. We also feel that being a close neighbour, with whom we share very warm and friendly ties, we are hopeful that the situation returns to normalcy,” he added.
Protests began after the June reintroduction of a scheme reserving more than half of government jobs for certain candidates, including nearly a third for descendants of veterans from Bangladesh’s independence war.
With around 18 million young people in Bangladesh out of work, according to government figures, the move deeply upset graduates facing an acute jobs crisis.
Although the Supreme Court cut the number of reserved jobs on Sunday but fell short of protesters’ demands to scrap the quotas entirely.
MEA on Mamata Banerjee’s comment on Bangladesh
Acknowledging that Bangladesh is not happy with West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s recent “shelter” comment for riot-affected citizens, Jaiswal said that the conduct of foreign affairs and all matters which bring the union into relation with any foreign country are the sole prerogative of the Union Government.
“I can confirm that we have received a diplomatic note, a communication from the Bangladesh side protesting the comments made by the West Bengal CM. It is essentially on the lines described in the reports. I would underline that under the 7th Schedule, List 1 – Union List, Item 10, of our Constitution, the conduct of foreign affairs and all matters which bring the Union into relation with any foreign country, are the sole prerogative of the Union Govt,” he added.
Few days back Mamata said that she had directed the state administration to render all help and assistance to the returnees from “trouble-torn” Bangladesh.
Hundreds of students and others are returning to West Bengal/ India, from the trouble-torn Bangladesh. I have asked our State administration to render all help and assistance to the returnees. For instance, around 300 students arrived at Hilli border today and most of them left for their respective destinations safely: 35 of them, however, needed help and we provided them with basic amenities and facilitation assistance. United we stand!” Mamata wrote in a post on X.
The Bangladesh government claimed they were trying to bring normalcy and labelled CM Mamata’s remark “misleading”.
