They will never forget the deafening sound of bomb blasts, say students of Uttar Pradesh in violence-hit Manipur even as some of them have made their own arrangements to return home.
While the Uttar Pradesh government has said that it is bringing back the first batch of 28 students, a group of 10 students of the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Manipur, has left Imphal for Kolkata on their own and will board trains to their destinations in Uttar Pradesh.
Jitendra Kumar, a Ballia resident who is pursuing B Tech in Civil Engineering from NIT, reached Imphal airport in a college bus.
“Ten students from U.P. have purchased their own tickets. The situation is very bad in Manipur. Shortage of food and safety were major concerns,” he said.
Abhishek Kumar, resident of Greater Noida, said, “We are first going to Kolkata. From there, we will take trains to our respective destinations. We are spending sleepless nights here. Parents are concerned for our safety. We are not going to come here for the next one month.”
Several other Uttar Pradesh students who are still in Manipur said if they do not get any official assistance, they too will move out by catching flights, etc.
{{/usCountry}}Several other Uttar Pradesh students who are still in Manipur said if they do not get any official assistance, they too will move out by catching flights, etc.
{{/usCountry}}Nearly 70 students from Uttar Pradesh are stuck at NIT, Manipur, after clashes in the vicinity.
“We can’t live here anymore. It’s a dark world as the authorities have advised us to keep the lights switched off to avoid detection by troublemakers,” said Aaveg Sharma, 18, a B Tech NIT first year student from Kanpur.
He said the problem began on Wednesday evening when Meities and Kukis clashed.
“We are sick of hearing bombs go off,” he said.
“Our college is near Langol in Manipur, which was also a centre of conflict,” Sharma said.
The Uttar Pradesh government that has set up a helpline number 1070 to assist the students and enable them to contact the state administration has received 128 queries.
After chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s instruction to the home department, principal secretary, Home, Sanjay Prasad spoke to the Manipur chief secretary and requested him to assist the students from U.P. to return, an official spokesperson said. The chief minister’s direction to home department came after students and their parents appealed for help, the spokesperson said.