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Ukraine returnees recall the ordeal, worry about safety of their friends
Even though they have safely returned from war-hit Ukraine, most of the returnees are still fidgety as they are concerned about the safety of their stranded friends
Even though they have safely returned from war-hit Ukraine, most of the returnees are still fidgety as they are concerned about the safety of their stranded friends.
The medical students and their parents are glued to the television screens and mobile phones, keeping an eye on every development in Ukraine.
“I am lucky that I have returned home safely, but the safety of my stranded friends is still a cause of concern,” said Deepanshu Banger, of Shahbad, who returned from Ukraine on Sunday.
“Our university had arranged a bus from the hostel to the Hungarian border. We managed to cross the border to return home,” he said, praising the Indian government for extending help to the stranded students.
As per reports, 91 students from Haryana had returned from Ukraine on Sunday.
The returnees say hundreds of students from India, especially from Haryana and Punjab, are still trapped in Ukraine. The stranded students are sharing videos on the social media and with their friends and requesting the government to expedite their evacuation.
“The number of flights is not sufficient to bring all the students back home. We urge the Indian government to depute more flights immediately,” said Layak Attri, of Karnal’s Khanpur village in a video message from Charnivtsi city in Ukraine. He said the biggest challenge before the stranded students is to reach the Ukraine borders as movement of vehicles has stopped.
Students said more efforts are required to ensure safe return of all Indians as thousands of students are still stranded in different cities.
“I am in constant touch with my friends. Many students are still stuck in bunkers and hostels. Many have reached the Romanian borders and are waiting for help from India,” said a third-year MBBS student, Yajan, of Shahbad, who has returned home safely.
On the other hand Shubham, of Fatehabad’s Tibi village, expressed gratitude to the Indian authorities after she safely returned back home from Ukraine.
“We moved to the Romanian border after crossing many hurdles and from there our evacuation was possible. On February 24, all of us spent the night in the basement of the hostel,” she added.
She said she is concerned that his friends are stuck at the Romanian border amid biting cold conditions and urged that the government should evacuate them, added the first-year MBBS student.
Ruliram Kasania, of Fatehabad, said his daughter Supreya, an MBBS student, is stranded at the Romanian border and he is worried about her safety.
“Supreya had sent us three audio messages on WhatsApp. She has no cash but has she managed to get food at a camp. She told me that there is network problem but she is in touch with the Indian embassy. We urge the government to make her safe return,” he added.
Similarly, Ajit Singh Siwach, of Jind, said his son Gaurav Siwach is stuck in the basement of the hostel of his university in Kyiv and is facing food and water shortage.
A fourth-year MBBS student, Ankur Sharma, of Yamunanagar’s Professor Colony, landed in Delhi on Sunday night with at least 11 other Indians. He was stuck in Ukraine’s Ivano-Frankivsk city.
“Fourteen of us informed our owners and left with our documents and essentials in a mini-bus for Romania’s border. We waited for 12 hours in the bitter cold and 12 of us managed to cross the chaotic border. Two of our friends were left behind but have boarded a flight almost 24 hours after us,” he said.
Sharma’s classmate in Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University and also a resident of Yamunanagar, Chirag Sablok, said, “Once we were in Romania, scores of locals, NGOs, and international organisations offered free food and shelter. Some even provided us free air tickets to India.”
