Indian students on their own in Ukraine: Returnee

Sanjay Bumbroo

Mohali, March 5

Students stuck in Ukraine are living in the shadow of death day and night and there is no one to take care of them. Ukrainian people and the military also discriminate against Indian students and make it difficult for them to cross the border after India extended its support to Russia. This is the observation of a final-year medical student at Ukraine’s Uzhhorod National University who returned home here last night.

Harminder Singh said his city was 200 km from the Polish border and about 100 Indian students were still trapped there. They were running out of food also. He said the students even don’t have access to safe drinking water and were melting snow to get water.

He said the Government of India was not even listening to the voices of the students stranded in Ukraine and even if official attended to their call, they were being told to cross the border on their own and reach a neighbouring country from where they would be taken to India. He said on reaching the border, stranded Indian students were thrashed and mistreated by Ukrainian pupils. He said Indian students had to line up for hours and were allowed to cross the border only after Ukrainian students had crossed over.

Harminder said he, along with some of his friends, somehow managed to arrange a vehicle from Uzhhorod and left for the border. About the scene on the way, he said that it was only destruction caused by bombing on both sides of the road. He said after crossing the Poland border, he was taken care of by Indian Embassy officials and then brought to India.

The Mohali lad said he thanked the Almighty on returning home safe and sound, but was worried about the suffering of fellow students who were left behind. He said he was also worried about what would happen to their studies as they could not complete the course.

His mother Meena Rani said she was thankful to the Almighty as her son had returned home safe.

Amanjot Kaur Ramoowalia, a BJP spokesperson and former chairperson of the District Planning Committee, said Harminder had been brought to India under the Operation Ganga launched by the Central government. She said the Centre was taking every possible step to bring back Indian students stranded in the war-torn Ukraine.