SULKING TS STUDENTS IN UK MOVED TO HOTEL

London, March 22: A group of 19 Indian students, who had sought refuge within the Indian High Commission premises in London demanding to be put on an India-bound flight despite travel restrictions back home in view of the coronavirus pandemic, were moved to a hotel on Sunday evening.

The students, mostly from Telangana, had initially refused offers of accommodation arranged with the help of Indian diaspora groups as India’s ban on travellers from the UK and Europe remains in place until the end of this month.

“We have finally reasoned with them and organised for them to take taxis to a hotel in west London,” said a community leader who has been working with the High Commission on arrangements for the stranded students. They had been placed within a quarantined space, which houses the visa and consular section within the Indian High Commission building in Aldwych, central London. Many of them had booked flight tickets back to India for later this month, in time for what is usually an Easter break period at universities in the UK.

However, India issued an updated travel advisory earlier this week, saying no travellers would be allowed entry into India after 1200 GMT on March 18 until March 31. It triggered a last-minute dash for flights as many students took to social media to seek assistance from the Indian High Commission as their travel plans went awry in the wake of the rapid spread of the pandemic —