SRINAGAR: Hundreds of Kashmiri students currently studying medicine in Bangladesh are frustrated as they are caught in a mess and are sitting idle in their hostels. They have neither classwork nor examinations as Dhaka University has not decided about the next course of action. The reason: some Kashmiri students have gone home and are not returning.
Bangladesh had around eight lakh Covid19 infection of whom more than 12500 have died as the country has more than 47000 active cases. There are rumours that the pandemic is expected to peak in June. Currently, Bangladesh is normal and there is no lockdown. The land borders are open for the exit as well.
“We were called back to Dhaka in December 2020 to appear for final year examinations,” a Kashmiri student from Dhaka told Kashmir Life on phone. “Since then, 3 date-sheets were announced and subsequently cancelled.” She said they were supposed to be examined for the final semester in November 2020 but because of Covid19, students left Dhaka. Late last year, they were summoned back with a promise to hold examinations by March. Since then, there have been three date sheets but all cancelled.
The student said that as the second wave peaked in India, few Kashmiri students returned home. “Now the examination has been put on hold due to them because they have not decided to return quite soon.” These are around 50 students, according to the students Kashmir Life talked to.
The students said that majority of Kashmiri students had stayed back hoping they will be examined. But that is not happening at all and they are killing time in the hostel as the contagion threat looms large. They said they had approached the Indian embassy and the authorities in Dhaka but there was no clear and positive response. “We lost an opportunity to sit in the MCI examination,” they allege.
“This whole situation is making us lose our sanity,” one student said. “Some of us have been actually seeking medicinal help just to get a good night sleep.”
