Demonstrators march during an anti-war protest, after Russia launched a massive military operation against Ukraine, outside the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Sunday. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch Holed up in a bunker in Kyiv and faced with the grave threat of war, a 17-year-old medical student from Haryana has steadfastly decided to remain in war-torn Ukraine to help the family of her landlord who has joined the nation’s army to fight the advancing Russian forces.
When Neha first arrived in the east European nation, she was unable to find accommodation at a hostel and decided to rent a space at the house of a construction engineer in the capital Kyiv. Her mother is a school teacher in Charkhi Dadri district while her father, who was in the Indian Army, died some years ago.
Savita Jakhar, a family friend of Neha, told The Indian Express on Sunday: “Neha is alright there. Earlier, her phone had gone switched off. Now, they have got equipment to charge their phones. They are currently in a bunker in Kyiv. They are continuously hearing noises from outside. The civilians there have not been attacked till now.” Savita, who hails from Jhanswa village in Jhajjar district, is currently a school teacher in Denmark.
In a Facebook post, Savita said the landlord joined the Ukrainian army three days ago while his wife and three children took shelter in a bunker. Neha is also with them. “My friend (Neha’s mother) tried to evacuate her from there by contacting the embassy there after a lot of difficulties. But the girl did not want to return leaving three children and their mother alone in this time of crisis,” Savita wrote.
“Despite all efforts by her mother, the girl is adamant to stay there. I wonder what gives her the courage to stand by that family in these difficult times. She knows that she can also lose her life in these circumstances but she is more concerned about the life of the three small children than her own. She is more concerned about that mother who is alone with her children than her own mother,” the post said.
Savita added that even in Denmark, people are gathering to stage an anti-war protest.
Parents of students stage protest in Jind
After a group of students safely returned to Haryana from Ukraine among the first batch of evacuees, their parents and social activists staged a protest in Jind on Sunday against the ongoing Russian invasion of that country.
Carrying banners with slogans that said ‘Say no to war’, several protesters came out on the roads. The agitators also demanded that the government intensify efforts to evacuate Indian students who continue to be stranded in Ukraine.
Parents of a group of students, who safely returned to Haryana from Ukraine, and social activists stage a protest in Jind on Sunday against the ongoing Russian invasion of that country (Express Photo) Ajit Singh, the father of Gaurav Singh who had gone to Ukraine two years ago, said several students from Jind are still in Ukraine. “Currently, nearly 250 students including Gaurav are in the basement of a hostel in Kharkiv city and are facing food problems. The ATMs are also not functional. The authorities have advised them to stay at their current location. We don’t see any possibility of their immediate return to India. Kharkiv is situated on the eastern border of Ukraine, while the flights are coming from the western side which is nearly 1,500 km away from their hostel.”
Social activist Master Ramphal Dahiya, who was among the protesters, said, “We don’t want war in any part of the world, but complete peace. Russia is a big power today, while America is heading NATO. Whenever there is a breach of peace anywhere in the world, there is a contribution of America in it, directly or indirectly. America’s plans to expand NATO by turning Ukraine into a pawn is wrong, but Russia has also done wrong.”
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