IIT-B nod to Afghan students to join the campus

MUMBAI: Afghan students enrolled in the Indian Institute of Technology-bombay (IIT-B) have sought permission from the institute to join the campus as conditions deteriorate in wartorn Afghanistan. Almost all cities in Afghanistan have fallen to the insurgent group Taliban, which is engaged in a military takeover of the country. As the Taliban waits to take over the presidential palace in Kabul, scores of Afghans have been attempting to flee the country.

“The nine students, who registered during the current semester, have been permitted by IIT-B to come to the campus. Since these students are Iccr-sponsored students, ICCR Mumbai office is working closely with the Indian Embassy in Kabul to issue visas to the students,” said Amit Agrawal, dean, international relations, IIT-B. Two senior students admitted in 2019 and 2020 are already on campus.

At IIT-B, one student from Afghanistan is admitted to academic years 2019 and 2020 each. In the current academic year, nine Afghan students have been admitted to the M-tech programme and have been attending lectures online, owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, amid deteriorating conditions in Afghanistan, the nine students had requested the institute to allow them to come to campus. “We offered admission to quite a few students from Afghanistan in the Master’s programme this year under scholarships from Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). Because of online instructions, they were participating in the class from home. However, due to rapidly deteriorating conditions in their homeland, they wanted to come out of their country and join the hostels on the campus. Although we have approved their request to come to the campus as this is a special case, we are not sure how late it is for them to pursue their dreams. We hope that they are all safe and can join us soon,” said Subhasis Chaudhuri, director, IIT-B.

Renu Prithiani, regional director, ICCR Mumbai, declined to comment on the matter. Vinay Sahasrabudhe, president, ICCR, remained unavailable for comment. “It is imperative that these students and their families, along with others, are safe today. They are in our prayers,” said Chaudhuri.