After several foreigners were injured, the Indian mission in Kyrgyzstan on Saturday asked its students to stay indoors and assured that the government was closely monitoring the situation. “We are in touch with our students. The situation is presently calm, but students are advised to stay indoors for the moment and contact the Embassy in case of any issues,” the embassy said on Saturday.
About 15,000 Indian students are in Kyrgyzstan, mainly pursuing medical education, though there are claims that the number could be as high as 23,000. It is not immediately known how many of them are in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek.
A 4th year medico of the Kyrgyz State Medical Academy told Deccan Chronicle they are living in constant fear. “We are scared to even make phone calls, as the sound could go out and we could get attacked”, they said.
The student said “Vandals are breaking hostel doors and entering the rooms. They are assaulting male students, and sexually attacking female students.”
Asked about their condition in the hostel room, the student said, “We are six people in the room. Our lecturers are providing us with food and water, but we are extremely scared.”
“On May 13, few Kyrgyz locals and foreign students had an argument near the Vostok-5 microdistrict. As the argument heated, the students fled and the locals followed them to their hostels. The Kyrgyz locals broke open the room door and stole money and mobiles from the students. After that, they began doing the same with other rooms too”, said another medico from Bishkek International Medical Institute.
The student said “When they entered the rooms where girls lived, some students gathered up to fight back. As a result, a fight broke out in the hostel courtyard. Three of those who started the fight ran away, leaving one behind. The students attacked the local, and then called an ambulance for him.”
“On Friday, a video of the students attacking the local Kyrgyz man got viral. Soon after that, mobs began attacking the hostels where Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Egyptian students resided”, the student said. They also said Kyrgyz police are outside their rooms for their protection.
Padmavathi, a parent whose ward was in Kyrgyzstan, told Deccan Chronicle, “We are very worried about my child’s safety. There is nowhere for my child to go if the mob enters their hostels. We are requesting the government to take swift action and get our kids to safety.”
Kyrgyzstan’s deputy foreign minister Almaz Imangaziev assured that the situation is under control, and their government would take legal action against the perpetrators of the attack.
In New Delhk, retweeting the embassy’s post, external affairs minister Dr S. Jaishankar said the Indian government was closely monitoring the situation in the Central Asian country and advised Indian students to stay in regular touch with the Indian embassy.
Reacting to the situation, the Kyrgyz foreign ministry said, "Law enforcement agencies took prompt measures to detain persons involved in the event, both foreign citizens and citizens of Kyrgyzstan." It added that the situation in Bishkek is calm and under full control, and all necessary measures have been taken to ensure security, maintain peace, and stability.
The Indian embassy also reported that law enforcement agencies in Kyrgyzstan took prompt measures to detain those involved in the incident, both foreign and local citizens. The situation was brought under control, ensuring the safety of citizens and public order. “There are no seriously injured people among those involved in the incident. About 15 citizens applied to medical institutions for examination. The ministry of foreign affairs of Kyrgyzstan did not receive any messages regarding injured foreign citizens,” the Indian mission said.
Pakistan has also alerted its citizens. In a post on X, Pakistan's Embassy in Bishkek said that the matter escalated after videos of a fight between Kyrgyz and Egyptian students on May 13 went viral online on Friday. "A few hostels of medical universities in Bishkek and private residences of international students, including Pakistanis, have been attacked. The hostels are inhabited by students from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh," it said.
"There have been reports of light injuries to a number of students from Pakistan. Despite social media posts about the alleged death and rape of Pakistani students, so far, we have not received any confirmed reports," the Pakistan government post added.
