Scared Indian students finally head back home from Kyrgyzstan capital Bishkek

Tribune News Service

Sumedha Sharma

Gurugram, May 23

After The Tribune highlighted the plight of Indian students in Kyrgyzstan capital Bishkek, special flights, beginning today, have been arranged to bring them back home. One flight carrying 150 students has already reached India while another will land in Delhi tomorrow.

It was reported in these columns that several Indian students were confined to their apartments, struggling to get essentials and seeking return to India due to mob violence.

Even as the authorities have claimed normalcy in Kyrgyzstan, Indian students are still scared and treading with caution.

Giving in to their apprehensions, all 10 medical colleges in Bishkek have shifted to the online mode of classes up to the ninth semester. Students of the tenth semester will have to appear for the exams in the offline mode and the universities concerned will ensure their safety.

With the classes being shifted to the online mode, a majority of the students are heading back home. Escorted by student coordinators and university teachers, these students are driving to Almaty and boarding flights to India. The airfare is reportedly surging by the day.

“They (authorities) are trying to show that things are normal, but that isn’t true. There has been no incident of mob violence in the past 24 hours, but we are still scared. Our embassy, student coordinators and university teachers have been of a great help to us,” said Dr Waquar, who hails from Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, while boarding a flight back home. Some teachers are even providing phones to students who lost their handsets in the violence.

Trouble started brewing in the Central Asian country on May 13 between locals and expatriates from Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and Egypt. A brawl had ensued between foreigners and locals in a hostel of International University of Kyrgyzstan where 29 persons were injured.

Thousands of Indian students started speaking about their plight after going without essentials and food while being confined to their apartments and living in fear of being attacked. After Telangana, Rajasthan and MP, now the Gujarat Government has urged the Centre to ensure the safe return of students from the state.

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