Listen to Story The widespread protests in Bangladesh have been accompanied by vandalism and looting of the houses of religious minorities, especially Hindus, creating a sense of fear and anxiety among them. And with the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina-led government, there is a possibility of the influx of Hindu refugees into Bengal, one of the states that shares a border with Bangladesh. India Today TV's sister channel Aaj Tak spoke to some residents in North 24 Parganas's Petrapole border, who shared details of the situation in Bangladesh, and how they managed to return amid the chaos.
These residents had gone to the neighbouring nation to meet their family, and said that there was a wave of constant fear due to the violent protests that has caused the deaths of more than 400 people so far. Since morning, scores of people - who went to Bangladesh to meet their families or for other purposes - are returning to safety in India as the unrest escalates in the neighbouring country. The Dhaka-Kolkata direct bus services remain halted.
Kalpana Biswas, who is a resident of New Town in North 24 Parganas, came back to India after her tourist visa expired. However, the timing couldn't have been right because she described the situation in Bangladesh in three words - "Destruction, looting and arson". "I went to Bagerhat to visit a relative.
I saw the mob setting a police van on fire yesterday. No offices or other buildings are there (Bagerhat) any more as everything has been turned to ash.