New Delhi [India], July 20 (ANI): Terming the ongoing protests in Bangladesh against the quota system in government jobs as an “internal matter” of the neighbouring country, Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh expressed hope that the Sheikh Hasina-led government will resolve the matter soon.
He also said the current situation is “worrying” and the issues of students should always be heard.
Speaking to ANI, Singh said, “This is a worrying issue. Students’ issues should always be heard, and we are hopeful that the Bangladesh government will resolve is matter soon.”
“The Bangladeshi Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, has been in power for several terms. She would surely restore normalcy after discussions and deliberations,” he added.
Singh further said that he believed that this is an “internal matter” of Bangladesh and India won’t meddle in it.
“We don’t want to meddle in the private affairs of the country…I wish the issue be resolved soon,” he added.
The protests in Bangladesh have been driven by demands for reform of the country’s quota system for civil service jobs, which reserves positions for specific groups, including descendants of those who participated in the 1971 War of Independence against Pakistan.
Bangladesh has imposed a curfew, and the authorities have disabled mobile internet services nationwide, citing the need to curb disinformation, reported The Washington Post. This has caused grave difficulties for the residents.
The MoS further said that India will work for the return of Indian students if the need arises.
“No matter what, they will rescue Indians stuck abroad. We will rescue all Indians from outside if needs be so,” Singh said.
Earlier, the India High Commission in Dhaka has been coordinating with local authorities in Bangladesh to provide adequate security to students who are keen on travelling to India, sources said on Friday.
The Indian mission, in coordination with BSF and the Bureau of Immigration, is facilitating Indian students who are travelling back to India from Bangladesh.
As the situation in Bangladesh amid the ongoing anti-quota protests continues to intensify, several Bangladeshi nationals have arrived in India.
Shubham Saha, an Indian resident, who arrived from Bangladesh through Akhaura Integrated Checkpost in Tripura, said that the internet shutdown is making things difficult for them.
“The network is completely cut off there. This doesn’t happen in India across the country. Moreover, because of the protests, the cab fares have shot up. It normally takes BDT (Bangladeshi Taka) 200 for me to reach here from Babonbariya. But today, the driver charged me BDT 1,000,” he said.
Saha added that the situation is normally difficult for Hindus over there.
Amid the ongoing countrywide protests in Bangladesh against job quotas, Border Security Forces (BSF) carried out security checks at the Indian Immigration check post in Fulbari, Jalpaiguri.
A total of 245 Indian nationals, including 125 Indian nationals and 13 Nepali students, arrived on Friday through the Gede border crossing in West Bengal.
“The situation is fine in India. But, in Bangladesh, if a Hindu tries to perform a puja, it is disrupted. For example, last time when someone tried to organise a rath yatra, others threw boiling hot water from rooftops,” he said.
Another Bangladeshi man, who entered India, complained that the conditions were harsh.
He said, “It is difficult for us even to step out of the house. There is no mobile network and we’re all left in a limbo.”
Mohammed Mehdi Hasan Khan, a Bangladeshi resident said the situation is very grim there.”I came here in India on a medical visa for my mother’s treatment. We have a family business back home,” he told ANI.
Khan added, “The country is in big trouble. Since the network is off, we cannot access news and know what is happening around us.” (ANI)
Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed of ANI; only the image & headline may have been reworked by News Services Division of World News Network Inc Ltd and Palghar News and Pune News and World News
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