An elderly couple from Bangladesh, who travelled to Tamil Nadu for the woman’s cancer treatment, found themselves stranded at Chennai airport. Their return flight to Bangladesh was cancelled due to civil unrest in their home country. While thousands tracked the flight of ousted Bangladesh president Sheikh Hasina, Sushil Ranjan Samadder, 71, and his wife Prova Rani, 61, anxiously watched the schedule of their cancelled flight. The couple had arrived in Tamil Nadu a few months ago for Prova Rani’s treatment after she was diagnosed with buccal mucosa cancer. She was receiving treatment at Christian Medical College, Vellore. Unaware of the impending turmoil in Bangladesh, the couple had booked a flight back home on Monday. Upon reaching the airport, they discovered that all flights to Bangladesh, including their IndiGo flight, had been cancelled.
With no assistance from IndiGo ground staff, the couple spent the night at the airport. Unable to speak Hindi or English, they struggled to communicate their situation. On Tuesday, airport authorities finally understood their plight and arranged temporary accommodation until their flights could be confirmed. When contacted, IndiGo representatives said that they could provide alternatives if the cancellations were due to faults on their part. “The flights could not operate due to political unrest in Bangladesh. We have scheduled flights to Bangladesh on Wednesday, and if the situation stabilizes, we will operate the flights. The couple can rebook their tickets,” said an IndiGo spokesperson.
The cancellation of flights to Bangladesh followed weeks of violence in the country, culminating in the resignation and flight of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Air India also cancelled flights to and from Dhaka, offering rescheduling and cancellation waivers to affected passengers. The Border Security Force issued a high alert along the India-Bangladesh border as unrest claimed nearly 300 lives.
Sheikh Hasina resigned amidst political turmoil, taking a Bangladesh Air Force flight to India. The flight, heavily tracked by over 29,000 users on Flightradar24.com, sparked major attention. Hasina arrived at Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad and plans to further relocate, likely outside of Bangladesh, with her son confirming she won’t return home. An interim government was announced by the Army chief, while air travel to Bangladesh was suspended, and a curfew was imposed in affected areas.
