"Ekhon deshey firtey hobey na (No need to return to the country, for now)".

Near-identical messages have been received over the phone by dozens of Bangladeshi students, studying in Visva-Bharati, from their family members or friends since the recent flare-ups in the neighbouring country.

"I had a plan to visit my home in Bangladesh, which is barely 250 km from Santiniketan. As I expressed my wish to visit home during the New Year, my parents and a few friends replied with a message advising me not to visit the country," said an undergraduate student at Visva-Bharati, who did not want to disclose her name or address.

"My family and house are still safe. It will be easy for our government to identify who is from a particular area of Bangladesh and studying at Visva-Bharati," she said, citing her need for anonymity while speaking to this correspondent.

Every year, around 60-80 students from Bangladesh are admitted to Visva-Bharati in undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD courses.

A source at Visva-Bharati said that currently, around 300 students are studying at the central university. Among foreign students, the number of Bangladeshi students is the highest.

Usually, students from Bangladesh visit their homes after the Pous Mela, which this year is scheduled to begin on December 23.

"Many of us visited our home during the Puja vacation. However, many had plans to spend New Year's with family," said a student.

Apart from growing tension in the country and worries for their families in Bangladesh, students from the neighbouring country are also very anxious about being in India amid a series of protests in different parts of the country, condemning the atrocities on minority Hindus in Bangladesh.

As reports of attacks on Indians who visited the neighbouring country recently emerged in the media, some Bangladeshi students are worried about whether they will face consequences during their stay in Santiniketan.

"While we go out in the market or on campus, we feel that people here have grudges against Bangladeshis. It wasn't there before, at all. Many people know us well in the area. My concern is whether we will have to face the consequences of the growing acrimony against Bangladeshi nationals here," said another student from Bangladesh.

Another student said many of them want to bring their parents or elderly family members to their rented accommodations in Santiniketan.

However, it is not possible because of the Indian government's strict visa policy, which was implemented following the recent developments in Bangladesh.

"The Indian government has been providing only student and medical visas. In the past few days, it has become stricter for Bangladeshis to even obtain medical visas," said a source.

The senior students at Visva-Bharati, like PhD scholars, who don’t have regular student visas, are not getting fresh permission to visit campus.

"One of my PhD scholars from Bangladesh could not come here to submit his thesis as he was not granted a visa. His visa has expired, and he is struggling to get a fresh visa amid this situation," said Abhra Bose, a senior professor.

Many students from the neighbouring country expressed worries after being informed about the recent call to boycott Bangladeshis and reports about a Calcutta hospital's decision not to treat those from Bangladesh.

The Bangladesh developments have turned into a political issue in Bengal over a series of barbs exchanged between the BJP and the TMC leaders.

Visva-Bharati authorities, however, said that they would take care of the students from Bangladesh who are currently studying at the university.

“We can’t comment on developments in Bangladesh. However, we can assure our students from the neighbouring country that we stand by them in case they face any crisis or need,” said Atig Ghosh, the acting spokesperson of Visva-Bharati.

Suvendu rally

BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, set to address a rally on Monday at the Petrapole land port near Bongaon in North 24-Parganas, has threatened to block goods transport between the two countries.

A BJP source said the party would continue its campaign on "atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh".

The saffron ecosystem is demanding the release of religious leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, arrested by the Bangladeshi government on November 25 on charges of sedition.