91 students from Gurugram district stranded in Ukraine

The district administration on Wednesday said that at least 91 students from Gurugram are currently stranded in war-torn Ukraine, adding that officials are in touch with their families and will assist in bringing them back home safely

The district administration on Wednesday said that at least 91 students from Gurugram are currently stranded in war-torn Ukraine, adding that officials are in touch with their families and will assist in bringing them back home safely.

91 students from Gurugram district stranded in Ukraine

Administration officials also said they were keeping tabs on the evacuation process via the ministry of external affairs.

On Tuesday, district deputy commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav formed teams to meet distressed family members and asked officials to share helpline numbers with them. “We received a list of 91 students from the Central government, following which we formed teams to ensure that family members do not panic. We are coordinating with the Central government and sharing important information with the families,” he said.

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said he was personally monitoring the situation and constantly receiving updates from the officials. “The families and students, who are stuck, should not panic. The government is trying its best to get them back safely,” he said.

Parents of stranded students said they were hoping for their wards’ safe return.

Manish Kumar, a resident of Om Nagar, whose son is a fourth-year MBBS student in Dnipro in Ukraine, said, “We are in touch with my son and he is safe so far. The district officials are in touch with us and are updating us with information regarding his return,” he said.

Rajesh Singh, whose son is also studying medicine in Ukraine, said that parents in the city have formed a WhatsApp group and are sharing information with each other. “My son called us around 5pm on Wednesday and assured us he was fine. Their exams and degrees have gone for a toss, but at the moment, we are praying for his safe return,” he said.

According to the government, around 1,786 students from Haryana are studying in Ukraine. Till Monday, over 90 were brought back to India, officials said, adding they had set up a help desk at the Mumbai airport to facilitate their return. Four police officers and one from Haryana State Co-operative Supply and Marketing Federation Limited (HAFED) were sent to Mumbai on Tuesday night for the purpose, said officials.

As Ukraine has shut its airspace due to the conflict with Russia, India is currently evacuating its nationals by moving them via land to neighbouring countries-- Romania, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia-- and flying them out from there under Operation Ganga, which was launched on February 26.