While Indian students stuck in violence-hit Kyrgyzstan's Bishkek on Tuesday, May 21, said the situation has significantly improved, they are still apprehensive about safety during the night and requesting that more flights be arranged to facilitate their return to India at the earliest.
According to the students, while things appeared normal on Monday, May 20, morning, violence resumed at night at some places in Bishkek and the neighbouring town, Kant.
One of the students told The New Indian Express, "We are not as panicked as before. We can turn on the lights and open the balcony for fresh air. However, I still don't think I can sleep at night. The situation was tense on Monday night also."
"Many police cars lined up near a private hostel at around 1 am (Kyrgyzstan time) on Monday (May 20) following an instance of attempted violence. There was also panic among the students as we heard that the locals were knocking on the doors of the foreign nationals living near Pervi," another student shared.
Although attacks have reportedly reduced, students have been asked to avoid going outdoors unless there is an emergency.
Locked indoors in fear for the past few days, many students said their main concern is leaving the country safely.
Rising airfares
As reported by The New Indian Express earlier, students are worried about the rising prices of flight tickets. As there are no evacuation plans by the Indian government, the airfare of regular flights has shot up due to the high demand. The tickets, which reportedly used to cost Rs 25,000, now cost around Rs 40,000 or above, students shared.
Moreover, students told The New Indian Express that Aero Nomad is the only direct flight to India. "Other airlines like Air India and Air Astana have connecting flights from Dubai or Almaty," an Madhya Pradesh-based student said.
While the flights of Aero Nomad were fully booked as of May 20, one of the students shared, "They have now added one more flight on May 24 and students have been contacting the contractors to get their tickets booked for this flight at $350/ticket (around Rs 29,000)."
According to sources, it is believed that as many as 172 students from Telangana are stuck in Bishkek.
