It was a horrific experience to stay in a locked hostel without food or means of communication
Srinagar, Aug 08: When Malaika Masood, 21, arrived at Srinagar Airport and spotted her family, she rushed towards them and hugged them tightly.
“It felt like my second birth,” she says.
Masood’s parents and other family members waited for her at the airport for hours to receive the final-year medical student from Dhaka, Bangladesh, which is engulfed in massive anti-reservation protests.
It was a mixed feeling for the relieved family when they got Masood’s first glimpse, embracing, kissing, and sobbing.
A student of Dhaka National Medical College (DNMC) in Old Dhaka, Masood was among nearly 8,000 Indian students who arrived from Bangladesh since the protest broke out in the neighbouring country.
“It was a horrific experience to stay in a locked hostel for many days with no food, no internet, and lots of fear and uncertainty,” she told.
“The authorities were not allowing anyone to move outside. The Bangladeshi Army also ordered shoot at sight, which scared everyone at the hostel,” she said.
Masood said she was unable to contact her family in Srinagar, which made her situation tough and gave her sleepless nights.
Somehow, her brother, Sehal, who is presently in Sydney, Australia, contacted her, and she re-established a connection with the family, her mother Daraksha told. She said it was after many days of negotiations and calls to the Indian Embassy and consulates that Masood could leave the hostel for safer destinations.
“College authorities arranged ambulances for them while the Indian Embassy facilitated a safe journey to the airport and then back home,” she added.
When protests in Dhaka turned violent, Masoodi’s family tried to book a ticket for her. But it was not easy with high demand and few flights. After many days, they were able to book an online ticket for Masood for July 21, but it cost them dearly.
“We communicated the flight details to her through SMS and waited for her arrival,” her mother added.
Another medical student, Muntaha Batool, reached Srinagar last month after getting stuck at his college for many days. She had traveled from his college at night to reach the airport in an ambulance. “We faced angry protesters and armed police en route to the airport. It felt as if we were traveling in a war zone,” she told news agency.
Like Masood, Batool also had to survive without proper food for several days and plead for rations outside her hostel in Old Dhaka.
Batool said she was lucky to have reached home airport on her first attempt, unlike many of her friends who were either stopped or forced to stay back in hostels.
Many Indian citizens, including students, have alleged apprehensions that they may face discrimination and violence from protesters after Bangladesh ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, resigned, and landed in India for safe refuge.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Indian medical students continue to stay in Bangladesh, waiting for their final year exams.(KNO)
