Post UN vote, forced to hide our identity: Indian students in Ukraine

Anirudh Gupta

Ferozepur, February 28

Hundreds of Indian students studying at various universities in Kyiv, who are stranded in absence of any mode of transportation to evacuate them out of the capital city, are now bearing the brunt of the country’s move to abstain on UN Security Council resolution condemning Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

Talking to The Tribune today, Jyoti Rani, whose 17-year-old daughter Saumya is stranded in Kyiv, said: “My daughter was hassled. Indian students are not showing their passport and are forced to hide their identity while seeking help from locals as they are apparently peeved over the country’s UNSC stance.”

Last night, Saumya told me that they were starting their journey on foot and were trying to head towards the Hungary border, her father Nitin Kumar said, adding that the Metro trains were running to full capacity and most of the bridges had been damaged to prevent the Russina invasion inside the capital city.

“Not just the Ukrainian army, even civilians are destroying the belongings, including passports, of the Indian students,” he added.

Studying MBBS (first year) at the Kyiv Medical University, Saumya, however, said there were around 10,000 students of different nationalities, including Indians, who were still stuck in Kyiv.

As per information, some students were even harassed at the Poland border by Ukrainian guards. Some videos are being circulated showing a guard kicking a man at the border though the nationality of that person is unclear, but resentment against Indians and other countries, which did not support Ukraine was visible in the local populace, claim sources.