As more states take students back from Kota, those left appeal to CMs

In Guwahati, Assam’s Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that the state will bring back 391 students from Kota in 17 buses.

On Saturday, nearly 100 students are expected to be sent to Himachal Pradesh, and 500 others to various parts of Rajasthan in government-run buses. Another 300 students are likely to travel home in private vehicles, officials said. In Bhopal, officials of Madhya Pradesh government said all students from the state who were stuck in Kota have returned. The state, they said, had sent nearly 150 buses from Gwalior to ferry them back. But even as their counterparts from other states are ready to be taken back home in arrangements made by their respective governments, students from Bihar have kept up their protests, demanding action from their state government. From posting on social media to going on hunger strike, they have left no stone unturned to catch the attention of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who has refused to follow his counterparts in other states and bring students from the state home, stating that any such move will be doing “injustice with the principles of lockdown”.

They have been joined by some students from other states such as West Bengal, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, who are also trying to reach out to their respective state governments.

According to the Rajasthan Chief Minister’s Office, nearly 11,000 students from Bihar, 3,000 from Jharkhand, 2,500 each from West Bengal and Chhattisgarh, 1,800 from Maharashtra, and approximately 1,000 students from Odisha are still stuck in Kota.

Talks are also on with Jammu and Kashmir to send students from the Union Territory back home, it is learnt.

According to the Rajasthan government, around 18,000 students in Kota have returned home as of Thursday. These include about 12,500 from UP and Uttarakhand, 2,800 from Madhya Pradesh, 350 from Gujarat, 50 from Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and 2,200 others who come from Kota division itself. In Raipur, officials said Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has instructed them to ensure proper distancing is maintained in the buses while bringing the students back.

At ground zero Kota, meanwhile, several videos and images of students from Bihar, holding placards and demanding to be taken back home, are doing the rounds on social media. Some students have also started a hunger strike and have shared online images of watery daal ostensibly being served to them.

They are also tweeting with hashtags such as “Humey Ghar Jana Hai” (we want to return home), “Nitish Help Kota”, and “Send Us Back Home”.

Students from some other states are also trying to reach out to their state governments. Om Prakash, a student from West Bengal, said, “Students from UP, MP and Uttarakhand have been safely sent back home.as cases continue to rise, our mental health keeps deteriorating. Classes are shut and we have no idea when our examinations will be held.”

In a video message, one Ramesh Mali says, “Honourable CM of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, please help Telugu Kota students stuck here. We are facing many problems. The food is not safe. The mess staff do not use gloves and masks. We are feeling very unsafe here. Our parents are very worried as cases are rising.” The district reported 18 more coronavirus cases on Friday, taking its total to 140. Of these, 60 people have recovered. Kota has also reported three deaths due to coronavirus. The Rajasthan government has issued a Google form for students from the state. The students will have to enter basic details along with the ID card issued by the coaching centre in Kota. After the nationwide lockdown was implemented on March 25, approximately 40,000 students were stuck in Kota.

with inputs from ENS Raipur, Guwahati, Bhopal