Altogether 163 students hailing from Bihar and Jharkhand were brought back to their home towns from trouble-torn Manipur by a special flight on Tuesday, May 9. The Bihar government had made arrangements for the safe return of these students, who remained stranded in ethnic violence-stuck state.
The students who were enrolled in different universities of Manipur were all praises for Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who took personal interest in the early rescue of stranded students from Bihar and Jharkhand.
All 21 students from Jharkhand were provided with an air-conditioned bus for their travel from Patna. Number of parents had gathered outside the Patna airport for their wards, who virtually heaved a sigh of relief after meeting their parents and other members of their families.
"Thank God, we have finally reached our home town Patna safely," said one of the students soon after landing at Patna airport. Nitish Kumar, a student of the National Institute of Technology (NIT), said that he was frightened after violence erupted outside the institute's campus. "We were told by the authority not to move outside. But we were aware of what was happening outside. All the inmates of the institute are safe," he told the media.
Mayank Raj, a fourth-year BTech student of Imphal, Manipur, said that he heard bomb explosions and firing outside the campus. "Students had to face problems after the mess of the institute was closed due to tense situation. Scarcity of water is another problem faced by the students riding there," he revealed.
Madhu Kumari, a student of Imphal Central Agriculture University, said that the students were living under threat. "We were very upset and wanted to return home as early as possible. Many students had requested the government to make arrangements for our rescue from the violence-stuck state," she said. She revealed that internet services have been disrupted. "We somehow managed to call our parents and informed them about the situation. Our parents also took initiative on their part and persuaded the senior officials of state government for the rescue," she disclosed.
Saifullah, a fourth-year student of NIT, Manipur, said that now the situation is under control. The Indian Army has taken command of the situation and they have succeeded to a great extent to bring the situation under control for the last two-three days. "You can well imagine that we have not slept for the last several days," he remarked.
The students said that around 300 students studying in various institutes of Manipur were stranded in different parts of that state. Sohail Ahmad, a first-year student of NIT, said that their second-semester examinations have been postponed due to violence. His elder brother Md Niyaz Ahmad said that Sohail will go to Manipur only if the situation turned normal. At least 60 people have been killed in the ethnic clashes in Manipur and over 1,500 houses burnt since violent protests began on May 3.
