‘It was a matter of life and death’: Kolkata professor recounts Taliban takeover of Afghanistan
A Kolkata professor who was rescued from Afghanistan recounts the Taliban's atrocities, saying, "It was a matter of life and death."
It has been an uncertain time for many Indians who were in conflict-torn Afghanistan as the Taliban took over the country on August 15. Professor Sarbajit Mukherjee from Kolkata was one of them.
A professor of international relations at the Kardan University in Kabul, Mukherjee returned to Kolkata, the city of joy, on August 22 along with other Indians by an aircraft as part of the government’s evacuation mission being supervised by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy.
Sarabjit Mukherjee said, “When I saw other colleagues going back to their countries, that triggered me to return as the political situation was such that there was no government [in Afghanistan]. There was a void. I planned and came back home.”
“That time, I didn’t think whether my job would remain, whether I would bring anything or not. It was a matter of life and death and an unknown fear that grips you.”
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“One situation was present [the US-backed government], and the new situation was replaced by the old [the Taliban]. There was an unknown fear. This pushed me and other Indians to leave Afghanistan.”
“You are seeing one party taking over another. You can’t run away. If you go to the airport, you can’t travel. There are no flights.”
“I thought what could be done next and spoke to the MEA and the Indian Embassy who told me about the evacuation flights and asked me to register. I am thankful to the government of India. It evacuated all individuals who registered and wanted to leave.”
Professor Mukherjee has yet not resigned from the Kardan University. He is still in touch with his students who have been taking online classes for the past six months, amid the Covid-19 situation and political turmoil in Afghanistan.
“The question of resignation does not arise because when an incident occurs, we don’t think of resigning and returning. I was supposed to return on August 16. But international flights were cancelled and I got stuck,” said Mukherjee, who had been teaching at the Kardan University for two years.
“It is not simply about fear as we went knowingly to a conflict zone where there could be political unrest. You overcome the fear itself [in due time]. But it was about what could happen next,” he said.
Will he go back? Yes, he says, given an opportunity again.
“During the Taliban takeover, I was in my office on August 15 and then went to my apartment. If the situation gets better, if there is no political unrest, I will definitely think whether it is conducive for me to go back,” Mukherjee said.