Stranded in Malaysia, 85 Kannadigas dropped from flight to Bengaluru

As the second phase of the Vande Bharat Mission repatriation flights gets underway on Tuesday, 85 Karnataka residents stranded in Malaysia say they have been axed from the Bengaluru-based flight list to make way for non-natives of the state.

According to Indian expatriates in Malaysia, about 120 Karnataka natives stranded in the Southeast Asian country were asked to register for the second phase of the repatriation mission on April 1.

“I registered on April 1, and was told that my seat on Air India 1325 back to Bengaluru would be confirmed for May 19,” said Deepa Ranganath (name changed), 25, a web developer from Indiranagar, who found herself stranded in Kuala Lumpur after quitting her job on April 2.

The hope dashed on Sunday when the High Commission of India in Kuala Lumpur (HCIKL) released a list of 130 passengers for the flight, due to take off on Tuesday. Her name was not on the list.

According to flight manifests from the HCIKL, of the 130 passengers on the list, 70 are not Karnataka residents. Instead, upon arrival in Bengaluru, they will be flown on to Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

'Outrageous decision'

“It is outrageous that a repatriation flight to Karnataka will mostly have non-residents of the state,” said an expat from the state. Another citizen told DH that he had been informed by the HCIKL staff that many of the 70 of non-state fliers are students and not high-priority individuals such as elderly people and pregnant women. An audio recording appeared to back up this claim.

The High Commission of India, Kuala Lumpur, did not respond to an emailed query by the time of publication, but several Karnataka expats also claimed that many of the non-state residents had supplied fraudulent addresses in Bengaluru to qualify for the flight.

“There is only one flight to Bengaluru in the entirety of Phase Two. Had they reserved it only for the 120 stranded Karnataka residents, we could have all returned home,” said Bhargav Ram, 23, an MBA student from a college in KR Puram, who is in Malaysia since March 13 for a three-month internship.

Hard times

The internship subsequently fell through after that country introduced a lockdown on March 18. Deprived a slot on the flight and with his 30-day tourist visa having run out, Ram said he fears for the future.

“We have been struggling to make ends meet. I and the others are down to just one meal a day. We need help,” Ram added.

Desperate situation

Puneeth, 35, a Bengaluru techie on a work contract in Malaysia, said he has been awaiting a repatriation flight as his father in Bangarpet requires hospitalisation.

“My work contract ended in March and I have been living on my savings, and looking forward to leaving on May 19. Now, my name is not on the list,” Puneeth said.

He added: “Every day here is like torture. I have told the High Commission that I will put up with any institutional quarantine measures. I just need to get home.”