External Affairs Ministry has urged Indian nationals in Bangladesh to follow the advisory issued by the High Commission in Dhaka on Thursday and to be in touch with the High Commission. The High Commission in Dhaka and Assistant High Commissions are available on helpline numbers for any assistance required by Indian nationals.
Briefing media in Delhi this afternoon, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said around 15 thousand Indian nationals including eight thousand five hundred students reside in the neighbouring country. He said External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar himself is monitoring the situation, and the High Commission in Dhaka will be giving regular updates on the situation there. He said the Ministry remains committed to provide all possible assistance to Indian nationals there. The spokesperson said India sees the protest in Bangladesh as an internal matter of the neighbouring country.
On the vessel which capsized near Oman, the spokesperson said, search and rescue operation is underway. He said the Indian Navy has been carrying out search and rescue operations since the ship capsized on 15th July and Omani authorities are also carrying out search and rescue operations. Out of the sixteen crew members, nine have been rescued, which include eight Indians and one Sri Lankan. Mr Jaiswal said one crew member has died in the incident and search and rescue operations are underway in the area to find the remaining crew members.
Replying to a query on Indians in the Russian Army, Mr Jaiswal said there are about 50 Indian nationals who have got in touch with the Ministry who want to be discharged. He said this particular issue has been raised by New Delhi at all levels, including at the leadership level. He added this issue was also taken up by Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he met Russian President Vladimir Putin during the annual summit held in Moscow recently. The spokesperson said the Russian side has responded positively and both countries are working for the early discharge of the Indian nationals.
Disclaimer: This press release is sourced from News On AIR, Prasar Bharti and Press Information Bureau India (PIB).
