Kolkata/Malda: The BSF has set up help desks at all major Indo-Bangla borders, like Petrapole, LCS Gede, Ghojadanga and Mahadipur, to facilitate the safe return of several Indian, Nepalese and Bhutanese students studying in Bangladesh. The BSF spokesperson said between Friday and 6 pm on Sunday, they assisted in the return of 1,045 Indian students, 152 Nepalese students and four Bhutanese students through BSF borders.
“BSF is in touch with Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and this coordination has ensured safe evacuation of students even during night-time operations. In response to the crisis, BSF and BGB have maintained a collaborative approach to manage the evacuation,” said A K Arya, DIG and BSF South Bengal Frontier’s spokesperson. The immigration desk at ICP Petrapole is open 24/7.
TOI spoke to multiple students, like Samima Nasrin of Assam, Raihan of Kashmir and Saidul Islam of Bihar, all students of Sirajgunj Medical College who took a midnight bus to reach Mahadipur border around 9 am on Sunday.
“We started at 2 am in a bus escorted by an ambulance and an Army car. The bus stopped at many places and took the bypass to avoid cities to reach the border,” Islam said.
“The BSF also arranged cars to take students to Malda Town station or English Bazaar, from where they could take trains or buses to Delhi or Kolkata,” Islam said.