Situation NOT CALM for Indian medical students in Kyrgyzstan, Medicos refute Embassy tweet

New Delhi: The safety of the Indian Medical Students pursuing their MBBS education in Kyrgyzstan recently got compromised after mob violence erupted against the international students in Bishkek.

At least 2,000 students have been studying MBBS in Kyrgyzstan. Reportedly, there have been several incidents of mob violence recently against foreign students in Bishkek. wherein an angry mob of locals barged into two universities in capital city of Bishkek, broke the hostel windows, and targeted foreign nationals, including four Indians on the night of May 17. Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in Bishkek said on Sunday that the situation there is now normal and the Indian students are safe.

However, referring to the situation, the All FMGs Association mentioned in an X (formerly Twitter) post that the situation is still not normal. "It appears that the Indian Embassy's assistance is limited to social media tweet. However, after speaking with numerous students in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, it seems that the situation is not well under control in many areas also students are saying there is no support from Indian Embassy till now," AFA mentioned in an X post.

What Went Wrong in Kyrgyzstan? 

Mob violence recently erupted in Kyrgyzstan where locals were clashing with foreigners. Hundreds of people in Kyrgyzstan came out on the streets. 

Referring to the situation, AFA had earlier mentioned in an X post, "Please help the Indians @IndiaInKyrgyz What's going on in Bishkek Kyrgyzstan? A student said and sent several videos. Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, there is currently a dangerous situation where locals are clashing with foreigners. Hundreds of Kyrgyz people are on the streets, and they are ready to harm any foreigner they encounter. Some Pakistani students have lost their lives, and Indian students have also been beaten. The conflict initially started between Egyptian students and Kyrgyz locals but has now escalated to target Indians and Pakistanis. If you are in the area, please stay safe and follow any guidance from local authorities."

A second-year MBBS student from Maharashtra's Beed said a hostel came under attack on Friday night barely 2.5km from his place.

"Video clips are circulated, triggering panic," he told TOI from Bishkek.

Another youngster from Indore, a third-year MBBS student in the same college, said "it's been over 24 hours that we have kept off the lights in our hostels". Many of us could not even go to the canteen for breakfast. The college administration is delivering food in the hostel. We have been instructed to stay indoors."

Speaking to TNIE over the phone from Kyrgyzstan, another student said, “I am studying third-year MBBS in Bishkek....A few international students (I am not sure that they are Indians) studying in Kyrgyzstan developed an intense argument with local youth a couple of days ago. It led to clashes between the local youth and foreign students. Subsequently, the angry mob of locals stormed into the universities and targeted foreign nationals, especially Indians and Pakistanis. They attacked four foreign students.’’

Adding that the situation is still not normal and it might take a few more days, the student said, “The university authorities shifted the students, who are residing in private houses, to the hostels to ensure their safety. The local police visited our hostel and ensured our safety from the mob violence. As of now, we are safe. The university authorities have also informed us that they will conduct online classes from Monday. The Indian Embassy and APNRTS representatives are in constant touch with us to ensure our safety. I hope the situation will come to normal in a couple of days."

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Response from India: 

Addressing the situation, the Indian Embassy in Kyrgyzstan wrote on X on May 18, "We are in touch with our students. The situation is presently calm but students are advised to stay indoors for the moment and get in touch with the Embassy in case of any issue. Our 24×7 contact number is 0555710041."

Sharing the X post, the External Affairs Minister of India, Dr. S. Jaishankar mentioned in a post, "Monitoring the welfare of Indian students in Bishkek. Situation is reportedly calm now. Strongly advise students to stay in regular touch with the Embassy."

Response from Kyrgyzstan: 

ANI reported that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kyrgyzstan recently issued a statement and said that the situation in Bishkek is calm and under full control and all necessary measures have been taken to ensure security and maintain peace and stability.

The Kyrgyzstan Ministry said that destructive forces are deliberately disseminating untrue and false information about the situation in the country in foreign media outlets and social networks, particularly in Pakistan.

In a statement, Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic informs that destructive forces are deliberately disseminating untrue and false information about the situation in the Kyrgyz Republic in foreign mass media and social networks, especially in the territory of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan."

Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged journalists and the blogger community to publish only official and confirmed information from the competent authorities of the country.

"Therefore, the Ministry urges public information media, bloggers, community representatives, as well as foreign experts to take only official and confirmed information from the competent authorities of the Kyrgyz Republic," Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Addressing the reports of injured students, the Kyrgyz foreign ministry mentioned in a statement, as quoted by Live Mint, "There are no seriously injured people among the participants of the incident. About 15 citizens applied to medical institutions for medical check-ups. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic has not received any reports on the injured foreign citizens. At the same time, the Ministry urges representatives of the mass media and foreign diplomatic missions not to disseminate unreliable and unverified information."

As per PTI, there are an estimated 15,000 Indian students in Kyrgyzstan. However, it was unknown exactly how many of them were in Bishkek. Indian students, aspiring to pursue medical education go to foreign countries such as Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Ukraine and Bangladesh as the cost of medical education appears affordable to the Indian MBBS aspirants and other international students.

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