4,000 Kashmiri Students In Bangladesh: Unrest Fuels Anxiety In J&K, Student Body Writes To PM Modi
Out of the 9,000 Indian students pursuing medical education in various colleges across Bangladesh, 4,000 are from the Kashmir Valley, the J&K Student Association said.
In a bid seeking urgent intervention for the safety and well-being of Indian medical students studying in Bangladesh, the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.
The students' plea to the prime minister comes amid ongoing protests, tensions, and incidents of violence, particularly in Dhaka and surrounding regions.
Violence erupted on Thursday, Dec. 18, after news of the death of a student leader named Sharif Osman Hadi broke out. The 32-year-old was a senior leader of the student protest group Inqilab Mancha.
He had emerged as a popular face of the youth movement that ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Hadi was also an outspoken critic of India, where Hasina remains in self-imposed exile.
Hadi was shot in the head by masked assailants on Dec. 12 while launching his election campaign in Dhaka.
The J&K student body noted that it has been receiving distress calls and messages from students and their families, who are extremely anxious about the rapidly deteriorating situation and the atmosphere of fear and uncertainty prevailing there.
According to the association, out of the 9,000 Indian students pursuing medical education in various colleges across Bangladesh, 4,000 are from the Kashmir Valley.
Nasir Khuehami, national convenor of the association, claimed in the letter that these students have been advised to hide their identity for their own safety, and called it "deeply disturbing and unacceptable" for young Indian students who have gone abroad to pursue their education.
Bringing forth fears and anxieties of the parents living in India, Khuehami stated, "Many students are confined to hostels and accommodations, facing restrictions on movement, lack of clarity, and fear of being caught in violence".
Calling the prevailing unsafe and uncertain, the student body's letter urges for India's intervention into the matter, and if necessary, also calls for facilitating safe and timely evacuation of Indian students from Bangladesh.
