Coronavirus lockdown: Can’t bring stranded students from Kota to Bihar, Nitish govt tells High Court

With around 11,000 students from Bihar stuck in Kota, Rajasthan, the Nitish Kumar government has informed the Patna High Court that it was extending all possible help to those stranded but could not bring them back “as it would be a violation of lockdown guidelines.”

The matter was heard in the HC through video-conferencing where the government responded to the notice issued by the Registrar General after a petition was filed by advocate Ajay Thakur about the students stranded in Kota.

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“Most of the nearly 17 lakh callers, including migrant workers, at the Bihar government helplines have been requesting the State Government to bring them back. However, the Bihar Government has always maintained its stand that the existing guidelines do not permit any such travel,” the reply to the High Court said.

“The petitioner’s admission that 90 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Kota is also a reason why it’s not advisable for students in Kota to take a long and arduous journey as this would increase the risk of infection,” said the reply.

“We are rendering all possible help, including food and cash, to those stranded. The Disaster Management Department (DMD) is in constant touch with the Kota administration. We have issued another 24x7 helpline number (0612-2294600) exclusively for stranded students,” said Principal Secretary, DMD, Pratyaya Amrit.

Hunger Strike

Meanwhile, anguished over the Nitish regime's stand in the High Court, several students (from Bihar) in Kota on Friday sat on hunger strike demanding they be sent to their home state immediately.

The Madhya Pradesh Government and the Uttar Pradesh Government have already brought their students from Kota by sending 150 and 300 buses respectively to Rajasthan.

The Patna High Court will hear the matter again on April 27.

Meanwhile, the Bihar Assembly Speaker Vijay Choudhary has urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who is a BJP MP from Kota, to ensure proper care of students stranded there. The Lok Sabha Speaker has reportedly assured him of all possible assistance to the students.