Sabia returns safely amid turmoil in Bangladesh

In a story of resilience and hope, Sabia Khan Pathan, daughter of Haji Sabir Khan Pathan, a councillor of Ward 14 from Mandleshwar Municipal Council, safely returned to India on August 6 after enduring a tense and challenging period in Bangladesh.

- Chaitanya Patwari

Sabia, a final-year MBBS student at Kumudini Women’s Medical College in Mirzapur, Bangladesh, had a harrowing experience as the political situation in the country rapidly deteriorated.

Sabia recounted that the situation began worsening on July 17, when a nationwide curfew was imposed across Bangladesh, accompanied by an internet shutdown. “The curfew came suddenly, and with it, our connection to the outside world was cut off,” Sabia explained. The curfew, aimed at controlling civil unrest, left many in isolation and uncertainty. While Sabia’s college campus in Mirzapur, located 50 kilometres from Dhaka, remained relatively safe, the chaos in the capital and other major cities created a pervasive atmosphere of fear and uncertainty.