Dhaka, Jan 17 (IANS) Fear has become a daily companion for thousands of Indian medical students in Bangladesh, as political turmoil and surging anti-India sentiment reshape what was once considered a safe and affordable destination for higher education.

More than 9,000 Indian medical students are currently enrolled in Bangladesh, drawn by the country’s relatively lower tuition fees compared to India’s costly private colleges. For years, this arrangement worked smoothly, with Indian students blending into Dhaka’s academic life, The South Asian Times reported.

That balance collapsed following the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, after a student-led uprising and violent crackdown.

In December, one Indian student was assaulted by local gangs, his phone and wallet stolen in an incident caught on CCTV. The attack sent shockwaves through campuses, reinforcing the perception that vulnerability now carries a nationality. Students report self-imposed curfews, whispered conversations, and constant vigilance.

“What makes the current moment especially fraught is timing. Bangladesh is heading into a national election amid heightened political violence. Law enforcement presence has increased; so has rhetoric. The interim government under Muhammad Yunus insists that order is being maintained, that crime levels remain stable, and that foreigners are not under systematic threat. These assurances may be statistically defensible. They are psychologically insufficient,” M A Hossain, a political and defence analyst based in Bangladesh, wrote in The South Asian Times.

“For Indian Hindu students, the anxiety is layered. Since Hasina’s ouster, attacks on religious minorities (particularly Hindus) have reportedly increased. Dhaka insists these are politically motivated, not communal. That distinction offers little comfort to a student whose examiner’s tone hardens the moment his identity becomes clear. In politics, intent matters less than effect,” he added.

With the Indian students contributing tuition revenue, academic exchange, and goodwill to Bangladeshi institutions, The South Asian Times notes that the stakes are high.

Education is meant to be a neutral zone, insulated from political storms. Yet in Bangladesh today, that insulation is cracking. Degrees are delayed, futures deferred, and anxiety thrives in limbo

–IANS

sktr/as