Bangladesh Protests: BSF South Bengal Frontier helps evacuate students from Bangladesh amid deadly clashes, setting up special help desks at ICPs.

Students arrive at Chennai Airport, from the violence-hit Bangladesh, on July 21, 2024.
| Photo Credit: B. Velankanni Raj

The Border Security Force (BSF) South Bengal Frontier has set up “special help desks” at Integrated Check Posts (ICP) along the India-Bangladesh border to facilitate the safe return of students from the violence-torn neighbouring country.

Officials said it is in touch with the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) to coordinate the safe evacuation of students, even during night-time operations.

“The BSF has successfully assisted in the return of 572 Indian students, 133 Nepalese students and four Bhutanese students so far,” the border guarding force said in a statement.

“Amid this unrest, many Indian, Nepalese and Bhutanese students studying in various educational institutions in Bangladesh are being sent back to their countries. The BSF South Bengal Frontier has set up special help desks at ICP Petrapole, LCS Gede, Ghojadanga, and Mahadipur to facilitate the safe return of these students,” a BSF statement said.

“The BSF is in constant touch with BGB. This coordination has ensured the safe evacuation of students even during nighttime operations. To further enhance the efficiency of the process, the immigration desk at ICP Petrapole will now be open 24/7, ensuring uninterrupted and safe passage for all students returning home,” BSF DIG A. K. Arya said.

Bangladesh has been reeling under deadly clashes, with protesting students demanding that the Sheikh Hasina-led government scrap a controversial job quota system.

The protesters have been demanding an end to a quota system that reserves up to 30% of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971 against Pakistan.

More than 100 people have been killed in the clashes that broke out weeks ago, according to reports from Dhaka, though the exact number of deaths is not yet clear.

On July 21, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh scrapped most job quotas that caused deadly unrest in the country, scaling down government jobs for veterans’ descendants to 5%, ruling that 93% be allocated on merit.