Numerous Nepali students successfully returned to Nepal from the troubled Bangladesh on Sunday. Upon landing at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, the students were visibly emotional as they described the challenging conditions they faced in Dhaka.
Sadiskhya Basnet, who had only been in Bangladesh for three months pursuing her medical studies, was forced to return to Kathmandu due to escalating violence and a communication blackout. "All communication channels are down, preventing any information from getting out. Every means of communication has been cut off, and the situation is extremely critical," Basnet shared with ANI at the airport on Sunday afternoon.
Basnet, a student at Inam Medical College, reported that security forces were actively searching for students involved in protests to arrest them. "Police would visit our college at night looking for Bengali students who participated in protests during the day. We were anxious because phone lines were dead, and we managed to reach our families through a consultancy and made arrangements to return to Nepal on our own," Basnet detailed.
Another student, Krishpa Rai, expressed relief at being safely back home. Rai noted that the lack of communication made the situation more frightening as they couldn't reach their families. "We were very scared because we couldn't contact our parents. No one could be reached; we were all terrified."
According to Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, around 3,500 Nepali students are studying in Bangladesh. The ministry reported that about 800 students had departed Bangladesh for Nepal by air or through land border crossings on Saturday.
Maulata, another returning student, recounted their journey: "We packed our things, arranged transportation, and left at night by ourselves. We spent the night at the airport, caught our morning flight, and returned to Kathmandu."
The Foreign Ministry of Nepal has reaffirmed the government's dedication to safeguarding the welfare of all Nepali students in Bangladesh, which has seen recent violent protests. "The Nepali Embassy in Dhaka has been working closely with students to ensure their safe passage from various locations in Bangladesh to Dhaka airport or relevant border crossings," the ministry stated on X late Saturday evening. "It has been actively coordinating with universities, relevant authorities, and law enforcement agencies in Bangladesh."
