The Kashmiri students who had come for vacations in April from different medical colleges in Bangladesh have been called back by their concerned medical colleges to appear in their final year of MBBS professional yearly exams scheduled from May 30.
The move has left over 100 students high and dry as the exams have been scheduled at a time when Bangladesh has closed its border with India in view of the sharp increase in the coronavirus cases in India.
Notably, Bangladesh announced its decision to seal the borders with India on April 25.
In wake of this, the students have sought the government intervention to facilitate their travel from India to Bangladesh so that they appear in their scheduled exams on time.
“The final MBBS examination of November 2020 and January 2021 was earlier scheduled from April 4.
But the exam was postponed by the college authorities following which some students came for vacations to Kashmir,” a student said.
The students said that they were informed that the deferred exams would be scheduled after Eid-ul- Fitr following which they planned to return to Kashmir till the exams dates would be notified by the concerned colleges and universities.
“We did not know that Bangladesh would seal its borders with India. We returned in the first week of April and borders were sealed in the last week of the month. Now, we are apprehensive of missing our exams which will be a huge loss for us,” the students said.
They urged the J&K government and the Government of India for their timely intervention and to facilitate their travel to Bangladesh.
Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam told Greater Kashmir that the students should send a representation to his office.
“Students should send a letter. I will try to help them,” he said.
Meanwhile, the J&K Students Association (JKSA) has written to the Ministry of External Affairs S Jaishankar and urged him to facilitate travel of the 100 Kashmiri medical students to Bangladesh.
The JKSA spokesman Nasir Khuehami in a letter said that the students who were supposed to appear in their exams were running short on time.
“They have to complete a 14-day mandatory quarantine in Bangladesh. The students must be facilitated
to fly back in this critical situation,” Khuehami urged the Ministry of External Affairs.
“The future of hundreds of students is at stake. So it is requested to take immediate steps to resolve the issue on humanitarian grounds and help the students appear in their exams,” the letter reads.