Northeast Desk, 20th July: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma announced that 36 students from the state, studying at Eastern Medical College, remain stranded in Bangladesh amid ongoing violent protests. He also confirmed that 405 Indian students, including 80 from Meghalaya, were evacuated through the Dawki Integrated Check Post in West Jaintia Hills District.
Describing the protests as “unfortunate,” CM Sangma said, “As soon as we received information, we immediately took action. Around 405 Indian students have been evacuated through Dawki, 80 of whom are from Meghalaya. We also have students from Bhutan and Nepal, and some tourists who crossed the border at Dawki.”
The state government is coordinating with the Indian Embassy in Dhaka to facilitate further movements. “We are in touch with officials in Bangladesh and the Indian Embassy. While the college claims the situation is stable, many parents are understandably concerned,” he added.
CM Sangma assured parents that the government is continuously monitoring the situation. “Though the area around the college is reported to be safe, the route to the border might pose risks. We will not take any chances unless we are certain that it is safe. We hope to assess the situation within the next 24 hours,” he said.
He also mentioned that most returnees would enter India through Tripura. “We are in touch with Tripura officials, our counterparts, and the High Commission in Bangladesh to ensure the safe evacuation of our students and others as soon as the route is clear,” he said.
Furthermore, the CM announced plans to launch an online portal to collect contact details of all Meghalaya students studying abroad. This initiative aims to streamline communication during emergencies. “We will propose this in the next cabinet meeting for approval. The portal will allow us to quickly access contact details of our students in any part of the world during emergencies,” he explained.
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