Around 300-500 Indian medical students in Bangladesh’s Dhaka are in a dilemma whether to flee or stay back and cater to the wounded at the hospitals. “The college authorities have shut the gates and we are safe inside.
The sounds of gunshots used to pierce the air, creating a sense of immediate danger and fear even in our rooms. The gunfire was often followed by the distant noise of sirens and the cries of people caught in the chaos,” said Promit Saha, an Indian interning as a doctor at Pioneer Dental College and Hospital, Dhaka.
The disruptions affected the students’ daily activities and their academic schedules. “There has been shortage of food, water, electricity and gas supply,” said Saha, who has decided to stay back in Bangladesh for now.
Arpan Maiti (29), an intern at BGC Trust Medical College and Hospital, Chandanaish, around 35km from Chittagong, said the daily footfall at his department has seen a two-fold rise in the past two weeks.
Meanwhile, ministry of external affairs sources said around 7,500-8,000 students have been brought back from Bangladesh. “If any student wants to come back, s/he just needs to be in touch with the Indian high commission in Bangladesh,” a source said.