Over 4,500 from India, Nepal and Bhutan were flown out amid violent riots over hiring quotas
New Delhi is helping thousands of students return home from violence-hit Bangladesh, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said on Sunday. It announced that 4,500 from India, 500 from Nepal, 38 from Bhutan, and one from the Maldives have been evacuated.
The emergency measure was carried out by the Indian diplomatic missions in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, as well as the cities of Chittagong, Rajshahi, Sylhet, and Khulna.
Last week, New Delhi issued an urgent advisory to its citizens and students in Bangladesh, urging them to avoid “non-essential travel” and minimize movement outside their residences amid the escalating unrest. The foreign ministry said that there were around 15,000 Indians, including around 8,500 students, residing in Bangladesh. The two countries share a 4,096-kilometer-long (2,545-mile) international border, the fifth-longest land border in the world.
Student groups in Bangladesh have been protesting over civil service job quotas for weeks. The agitations turned deadly last week.
A government curfew featuring a ‘shoot on sight’ order was introduced on Saturday, and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s office requested that the military deploy troops after police failed to subdue the protests. Universities have remained closed and telecommunications in the country have been blocked. The death toll among civilians has risen to 130, according to various media estimations, since the outbreak of violence. The clashes have prompted the prime minister to cancel her diplomatic visits to Spain and Brazil, scheduled for Sunday, AFP reported.
On Sunday, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh scaled back most of the quotas against which the students had protested. In its verdict, the top court ordered that 93% of government jobs must be allocated on the basis of merit, setting aside 5% for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence from Pakistan in 1971 and 2% for members of ethnic minorities, as well as transgender and disabled people. Previously, one-third of civil service jobs had been reserved for the relatives of veterans.
The quota system was scrapped in 2018, but in June of this year, the Supreme Court reinstated it, ruling its removal was unconstitutional. The protesters have claimed that the quota system unjustly benefitted the ruling Awami League, which played a key role in the Liberation War. The nation’s current prime minister is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the leader of the independence movement and the ‘founding father’ of Bangladesh.
While student groups have in general welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision, they have decided to continue with demonstrations until their key demands are met. These include justice for protesters killed in recent days, the release of detained protest leaders, the restoration of internet services and resignations of government ministers.
The Economic Times on Monday noted that the situation in the neighboring country is a concern for New Delhi, as a “strengthening of radical forces in Bangladesh” is “inimical to India’s interests.” Bangladesh remains one of the biggest trade partners for India in the neighborhood and its key partner in regional initiatives, including BIMSTEC (The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) and SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation).
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