Indian students standing outside Ukrainian embassy in Kyiv. (Screengrab) Many students from Tricity stranded at Kharkiv, Ukraine have been urging Indian authorities to speed up the evacuation operations from the eastern side. The students have continued to keep their families updated about their condition through video calls.
Two of the stranded students, sent a video message to the Indian Express from an underground metro station, highlighting the ordeal of students. One of the students, Nitika Mohan, urged Indian authorities to make arrangements for the evacuation of students from the eastern side.
“Russian forces have already entered Kharkiv. We have seen Russian military tanks moving on the roads. We are stuck in Kharkiv, which is on the eastern side of Ukraine. We are running short of food, water, electricity, etc. Last night, snowfall and hailstorm made things more complicated,” Nikita said.
The second student in the video, who is from Chandigarh, said, “Indian embassy has sent us many video messages for our safety. But most of these messages are not relevant to us and but to students who are in the Western side of Ukraine.”
“I have been transferring money to my daughter’s account regularly. My daughter, Raveena Kaur, along with other children from Tricity, are in constant touch with their agent, Col Sandhu, who is also there. I have been in contact with him as well. As the Russian forces are marching forward, the situation is very tense in Kharkiv. My daughter’s rented accommodation was situated near the metro station where they are currently holed up. On a call, Raveena told me that she, along with her roommate, had been going to her accommodation in the morning for food. But since yesterday afternoon, they have not been able to leave the metro station”, Gurmeet Singh of Sector 38 West, said. His daughter is pursuing her final year MBBS at Kharkiv National Medical University (KNMU).
As the Ukrainian crisis worsens with each passing day, family members of students are worried about their children’s safety. Many such students are stuck in at least two underground metro stations, where they take the shelter along with thousands of others.
At least nine families of Tricity whose children are pursuing MBBS in two medical institutes at Kharkiv gathered outside the house of Chandigarh MP Kirron Khair in Sector 8 to lodge their grievances Saturday.
As Khair was not available in Chandigarh, they handed over a memorandum to senior BJP leader, Sanjay Tandon. Tandon assured them that he will forward their concerns to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Fatehdeep Singh, whose children are in Ukraine, said, “I am a technician at PGI. I send both of the children for pursuing MBBS in Ukraine. They are in constant touch with me. The situation has been growing tense with each passing day there. Indian authorities should evacuate those who are stranded in the Eastern side of Ukraine.”
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.
