Shinde speaks to MEA seeking safe return of Maharashtra students stuck in Bangladesh

Mumbai: In the wake of the civil unrest in Bangladesh, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday spoke to the Ministry of External Affairs for the safe and early return of students from the state stuck there.

Shinde’s intervention came amid questions being raised about the safety of foreign nationals in the neighbouring country, especially the students stranded in the troubled areas.

"We give the highest priority to the safety of our students. All necessary measures are being taken for their safe return to their homeland. The state government stands with the families of the affected students during these challenging times,’’ Shinde said.

Confirming the development, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said that Shinde has interacted with the Ministry of External Affairs and highlighted the need for immediate action given the seriousness of the situation in Bangladesh.

The Chief Minister also urged the MEA to provide all possible assistance to the affected students, suggesting that the students be relocated to safer places to ensure their immediate safety and also speed up the process for their safe return to India.

To reach out to the students from the state stranded in Bangladesh and provide immediate assistance to them, a list has been compiled and submitted to the External Affairs Ministry.

The state government has also constituted a team to monitor the situation there and be in touch with the Central authorities and the affected families. Coordination is being done with the Indian Embassy in Bangladesh so that measures can be taken for the safety of the students.

Meanwhile, making a suo-moto statement in the Rajya Sabha on the ongoing situation in Bangladesh, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Tuesday expressed India's deep concern over the attacks on minorities, their businesses, and temples at "multiple locations" in the neighbouring country.

Jaishankar's remarks came a day after Sheikh Hasina resigned as the Prime Minister and reached India following massive violence in Dhaka and several other parts of Bangladesh.

"Properties of individuals associated with the regime were torched across the country. What was particularly worrying was that minorities, their businesses, and temples also came under attack at multiple locations. The full extent of this is still not clear," the EAM said while detailing the events since August 4 when things took a "very serious turn" in Bangladesh.

"There are an estimated 19,000 Indian nationals there, of which about 9,000 are students. The bulk of the students, however, have already returned to India in July on the advice of the High Commission," the Minister said.