Bangladesh Unrest; India Cancels Maitree Express & Bandhan Express; 115 Killed; 1,000 Indians Back Home

New Delhi: Railways on Saturday cancelled two trains between India and Bangladesh amid widespread violent protests in the neighbouring country over a quota system in government jobs.

According to Railways authorities, Saturday’s Kolkata-Dhaka Maitree Express and Bandhan Express between Kolkata and Khulna on Sunday have been cancelled due to unavoidable circumstances.

Even the Kolkata-bound Maitri Express didn’t depart from Dhaka on Friday, with the protests affecting functioning of rail services in Bangladesh.

“Kolkata-Dhaka Maitree Express has been cancelled. Bandhan Express which runs on Sunday has also been cancelled after talks with the Bangladesh government,” ANI quoted Eastern Railway CPRO Kaushik Mitra as saying.

Mitra further said there is no information yet as to when the train services between India and Bangladesh will resume.

The toll in Bangladesh’s growing unrest has risen to 115 as protesters have been clashing with police and paramilitary forces in several towns and cities.

All public and private educational institutions have been shut down indefinitely in the country due to the protests, disrupting the lives of many students, including students from India.

Over 1,000 Indian students have returned from Bangladesh, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

While 778 Indian students have come back through different land ports, around 200 have returned by regular flight services from Dhaka and Chittagong airports, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.