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Bengaluru: JD(S) MLC S L Bhojegowda, who was stuck in Dubai, along with several Indians, amid ongoing tensions in the Middle-East, was helped in his safe return to Bengaluru.

He added the local government helped him and 212 other stranded Indians and arranged for their return home. “The Indian embassy did not open its lips. They did not even help us. It was the Dubai government that came to the rescue and arranged our departure,” Bhojegowda said as per ‘The Indian Express’.

“We don’t know where they were. The Dubai government and Emirates took a bold decision and sent us back. I had contacts and could manage, but what about common people?” he added while pointing out that it was the embassy’s duty to help stranded Indians.

The MLC further said that he got stuck in Dubai while returning from South Africa to India. “My elder brother had died. I took a flight. Dubai was the transit point. After reaching Dubai, I entered the flight that was supposed to leave for Bengaluru. But even after two hours, they did not fly. They later said that it was postponed due to some bombings in Abu Dhabi,” The Indian Express quoted him further as saying.

Pointing out on the chaos at the airport, he added, “In the next few minutes, all flights got cancelled, and there was chaos at the airport. To step out, we needed a Dubai visa, but then, as I had a US visa, I took a visa on arrival. By then, I called Kumaranna (Union minister H D Kumaraswamy), who arranged a hotel to stay.”