Amid massive unrest in neighbouring Bangladesh following the assassination of Osman Hadi, around 35 Bangladeshi students studying at Visva-Bharati University (VBU) in Santiniketan are unable to return home due to a visa crisis.
The visa process has come to a halt with several visa centres in Bangladesh having been shut down.
Incidents of violence and vandalism are reportedly occurring frequently and indiscriminately. The interim government headed by Mohamed Yunus has been criticised for failing to ensure the safety of minorities.
The closure of visa centres on both sides of the India-Bangladesh border has created serious difficulties for Bangladeshi students pursuing higher education in India. Students studying at Visva-Bharati University have been particularly affected, as they are unable to return home due to visa complications.
University authorities have, however, assured the students that they may continue staying in the hostels, which will remain open for them, should they choose to stay on campus.
At present, about 35 Bangladeshi students are enrolled at Visva-Bharati University. Their semester examinations are scheduled for the third week of January, and many had planned to return home before then. However, obtaining visas has emerged as a major obstacle.
With unrest prevailing in their home country, the students are anxious to be with their families. Their inability to return home has left them in a state of deep distress.
Several students, requesting anonymity, said: “If we could return home at such a time and meet our families, it would have eased our minds at least a little. Right now, we are extremely worried.”
The Visva-Bharati authorities maintain that despite the visa-related issues, the students will not face any difficulties on campus. They will be allowed to stay in hostels or elsewhere on campus and continue with their academic and personal work.
For now, the students who crossed the border to pursue their studies in Santiniketan, have little option but to remain confined to their hostel rooms, grappling with anxiety for their loved ones and anguish over the situation in their country.
It may be recalled that in 1999, Visva-Bharati University conferred its highest honour, Desikottam, on Sheikh Hasina. On 25 May, 2018, Sheikh Hasina, then Prime Minister of Bangladesh, jointly inaugurated the Bangladesh Bhavan at Santiniketan along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Meanwhile, residents and ashramites of Santiniketan have condemned the vandalism of Chhayanaut, a prominent institution devoted to Bengali culture in Bangladesh.