Dhaka, Jan 14: Bangladesh must adopt a strict zero-tolerance policy towards violence against foreign students, backed by credible prosecution rather than symbolic assurances, a report highlighted on Wednesday. The report urged universities in the country to go beyond imposing curfews and actively stand up for the safety and dignity of their students beyond campus boundaries.
In a strongly worded article published by Eurasia Review, the report warned that Bangladesh risks losing its moral standing if foreign students begin to fear stepping outside their hostels because of their nationality. “One of the quietest — and most corrosive — ways a country loses its moral authority is when students fear walking freely due to the passport they carry. Bangladesh today is drifting dangerously close to that line,” it said.
The report cited a recent international media interview with an Indian medical student in Dhaka, identified by the pseudonym Karim. According to his account, fear has become a daily reality. He reportedly locks himself inside his hostel room every evening, listens carefully before opening doors, avoids local markets and hides his accent to escape attention. “What was once a second home now feels like a jail,” the report noted, adding that his education, funded by his father’s life savings, has turned into an exercise in constant vigilance.
The report stressed that Karim’s experience is not an isolated one. More than 9,000 Indian medical students are currently studying in Bangladesh, drawn primarily by affordability rather than choice. With over two million aspirants competing for fewer than 60,000 government medical seats in India each year, many middle-class families see Bangladesh as a necessity, not an alternative.
For years, Indian students blended into Bangladeshi academic life without major friction. However, the report said this equilibrium has eroded, particularly following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. It claimed that attacks on religious minorities, especially Hindus, have reportedly increased, intensifying fear among foreign students.
While authorities in Dhaka have described such incidents as politically motivated rather than communal, the report argued that intent matters less than impact. It warned that turning students into proxies for geopolitical tensions risks damaging education across South Asia, undermining the idea that learning can transcend politics.
