Indians working and living in Bangladesh were cooped up at home Monday and glued to the news as the streets of Dhaka descended into chaos in a public uprising that they knew was brewing but didn’t expect to unravel in the manner it did.
Kanika Banerjee, 80, reached Bangladesh last Saturday to stay with her son Anindo, little knowing that the country would be in the throes of political and social cataclysm in less than 72 hours.
“I have been interacting with the domestic help and am aware of the problems they face. I have been following the news, too. The siege to Ganabhaban, the official residence of the Bangladesh PM, left me surprised. I hope peace is restored soon and we can return to normal life,” she told TOI.
Anindo, head of content for an OTT platform, said even his Bangladeshi friends hadn’t seen anything like this before. “The last time Bangladesh erupted in this manner was in 1971. Once peace is restored, I will probably consider writing about the entire experience,” he said.
An Indian high commission official in Dhaka said the phone hadn’t stopped ringing since morning, with many people on work and tourist visas enquiring if they might be evacuated. “For now, we are just advising anyone who calls to stay indoors.”
The Indian visa application centre was shut throughout the day, the official said.
Saqi Banerjee from Kolkata, who resides in Dhaka, was among the many Indians praying for normalcy to return. “Many of my friends were part of the protests. But they are all weary after being witness to so many deaths,” she said.
Sumanta Sarathi Das, an engineer from Kolkata’s Salt Lake working on a project in Bangladesh with 36 Indian colleagues, said he was awaiting word from his company about any possible evacuation attempt if the situation doesn’t improve. “We are all staying put for now. Thankfully, there has been no untoward happening in our locality so far,” he said over phone from the Bangladesh capital.
Kanika Banerjee, 80, reached Bangladesh last Saturday to stay with her son Anindo, little knowing that the country would be in the throes of political and social cataclysm in less than 72 hours.
“I have been interacting with the domestic help and am aware of the problems they face. I have been following the news, too. The siege to Ganabhaban, the official residence of the Bangladesh PM, left me surprised. I hope peace is restored soon and we can return to normal life,” she told TOI.
Anindo, head of content for an OTT platform, said even his Bangladeshi friends hadn’t seen anything like this before. “The last time Bangladesh erupted in this manner was in 1971. Once peace is restored, I will probably consider writing about the entire experience,” he said.
An Indian high commission official in Dhaka said the phone hadn’t stopped ringing since morning, with many people on work and tourist visas enquiring if they might be evacuated. “For now, we are just advising anyone who calls to stay indoors.”
The Indian visa application centre was shut throughout the day, the official said.
Saqi Banerjee from Kolkata, who resides in Dhaka, was among the many Indians praying for normalcy to return. “Many of my friends were part of the protests. But they are all weary after being witness to so many deaths,” she said.
Sumanta Sarathi Das, an engineer from Kolkata’s Salt Lake working on a project in Bangladesh with 36 Indian colleagues, said he was awaiting word from his company about any possible evacuation attempt if the situation doesn’t improve. “We are all staying put for now. Thankfully, there has been no untoward happening in our locality so far,” he said over phone from the Bangladesh capital.