Students from Maharashtra stranded in strife-torn areas of Manipur at Mumbai Airport on Monday evening. Photo: Arrangement
Twenty-five students from Maharashtra, who were stranded in strife-torn areas of Manipur, heaved a sigh of relief on touching down at the Mumbai airport on Monday evening.
The Maharashtra State government, which initiated the evacuation process of its residents in the northeastern State, where ethnic clashes have claimed over 50 lives since May 3, first shifted the students to Guwahati in Assam by a special flight on Monday morning, and from there they were brought back to Mumbai in a commercial aircraft.
The students to whom Today News 24 spoke said that they took off from Imphal at 8.55 a.m. and landed at the Guwahati airport by 10.30 a.m. After a layover of about six hours, they boarded an IndiGo flight at 4.10 p.m. and reached Mumbai at 7.30 p.m.
“At every step, there was assistance. In Imphal. A Shiv Sena leader helped us reach the airport while officials of the Maharashtra Government were present at Guwahati airport. Lunch and refreshments were provided,” Sajan Chhagan Pounikar, a student of the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Manipur, and a native of Nagpur, said.
Speaking to Today News 24, Mr. Pounikar said that the academic schedule had remained suspended since May 3 because of the curfew and the situation had been volatile in some places.
“In the time of need, the State government stepped up and evacuated us,” he said.
Students from Maharashtra stranded in strife-torn areas of Manipur being received at Mumbai Airport on Monday evening. Photo: Arrangement
Tanmay Madav from Kalyan (West), a final year student of mechanical engineering from NIT Manipur, said that of the 25 stranded students hailing from the State, 14 were from his institution, while the rest were studying at Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Manipur, and the National Sports University.
“We are feeling safe now. Back there, the situation was very tense,” Mr. Madav said.
The students thanked the State government for helping them return home safely, the Chief Minister’s Office said.
On Sunday, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said the State government was closely monitoring the situation in riot-hit Manipur, and had spoken to some students and assured them that a special flight was being arranged for their return.
Mr. Shinde made a phone call to Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh and his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma to make the necessary arrangements for the safe return of the students.
