INDIANS STUCK ABROAD CRY FOR GOVT HELP

The Indian government's decision to ban the entry of travellers from Afghanistan, Philippines and Malaysia has spelled chaos for thousands of people.

Students and tourists with layovers in these countries, planning to board their flights to India, are struggling to make alternative arrangements.

Many of them have taken to Twitter to complain about the suddenness of the announcement, deploring the government's action in not giving them enough time to plan their travel.

Nitin, a tourist from India, is stuck in Indonesia. He was supposed to return to the country through a connecting flight via Malaysia on Wednesday.

He said on Twitter: “This is incredibly irresponsible of the government to restrict borders on such close calls!”

A video on social media platforms of Indian students who appeared to be stuck at the airport in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia has been widely shared. One of the students says they had boarded a flight from the Philippines. She says the government should announce travel restrictions a day or two before they are enforced.

Another woman notes that the travel ban exists till April 14 and they don't know how they will spend nearly a month in a foreign land. “If our own homeland refuses to take us back, without prior warning, it will be a big problem for us,” she notes.

Multiple people tagged the Ministry of External Affairs' Twitter handle, requesting it to grant entry to them since their visas in their respective locations were about to expire within a few hours.

Appreciate the difficult situation of Indian students and other passengers waiting in transit at Kuala Lumpur airport. We have now approved @AirAsia flights for you to Delhi and Vizag.

These are tough times and you should understand the precautions. Please contact the airline.