More number of students studying in various locations in northern India are returning home, while others who purchased flight tickets later in the week are departing cities near the Pakistan border.
The agreement of ceasefire between India and Pakistan on the evening of Saturday, May 10, provided brief relief, but Pakistan's violation later that evening rekindled panic among students and their parents.
A second-year law student at OP Jindal Global University in Sonipat, Haryana, told The Telegraph that students had been fleeing to their hometowns since yesterday, Sunday, May 11.
For many students studying in Punjab, the recent military action by both nations has been a terrifying experience.
They reported experiencing sudden power blackouts and patchy internet, and were told to remain in total darkness. Some students even reported to The Telegraph about hearing about shellings from their friends in other parts of Punjab and were fearful of getting caught in the crossfire between the two nations themselves.
Several students stated that as a result, the number of students on college campuses in the northern portion of the country are dwindling with each passing day as they leave the schools.
Many parents are also anxious for their children to return home, making frantic plans to get them safely home on the first feasible flight.
“Students from Bengal and South India desperately wanted to come back because, under the current circumstances, our hometown seems much safer than campuses in northern India. Many parents were writing to the college authorities as well,” a student told The Telegraph.
