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Ukraine crisis: Indian students holed up in bunker after explosion at Kharkiv train station
Fleeing Ukraine, over 1,000 Indian students who managed to reach the Kharkiv railway station are reportedly holed up in a bunker located underneath the station after an explosion
Over 1,000 Indian students who managed to reach the Kharkiv railway station, covering about 25 kilometres on foot amid shelling and gunfire by Russian forces, are reportedly holed up in a bunker located underneath the station after an explosion.
The Indian embassy in Ukraine on Wednesday issued an urgent advisory asking all its citizens to leave Kharkiv “under all circumstances” and reach Pisochyn, Babaye and Bezlyudivka settlements by 6pm local time.
Karanpal Singh Sandhu, an overseas education provider from Ludhiana who is settled in Kharkiv, told HT over phone that when students gathered at the local railway station, there was an explosion that triggered a stampede and some students fell unconscious. “When some students tried to enter the train, they were thrown out,” said Sandhu, while alleging racism by a few locals.
Sandhu said around 1,200 students are taking shelter in a bunker underneath the train station. “All of them are without food since morning. I have spoken to the Indian embassy and sought help. They have told us to take a bus and head to the western part of Ukraine. But no one is ready to take us. The embassy has also advised all those holed up here to leave the railway station immediately and walk down to Pisochyn, which is 11km away, Babaye (12km) and Bezlyudivka (16km). Amid dropping temperature and intense shelling, it appears to be a risky proposition,” he said, while urging the Indian government to intervene and immediately arrange a train to ferry the stranded students.
Meanwhile, a section of students managed to reach Pisochyn later in the evening. “They have been kept in a school with heating arrangements, and were offered food,” said Sandhu. Kaushika, a third-year MBBS student who belongs to Ludhiana, also managed to reach Lviv on Wednesday after catching a train from Kharkiv on Tuesday. “I was fortunate to catch a train somehow. Normally, it’s a 12-hour journey, but our train took 24 hours to reach Lviv amid shelling,” said Kaushika, adding that the students holed up in Kharkiv are in a pathetic condition.
