Many students of Meerut and adjoining districts are stranded in different cities of Ukraine, raising safety concerns after Russia’s military operation in the country. Flights scheduled for Thursday, on which some of these students were booked, were cancelled due to the operation.
Proyanshu Prabhakar, a resident of Maliyana locality and pursuing his medical education in Ukraine, had bought a flight ticket paying ₹60,0000 and was scheduled for Friday but after the war started, he got stranded there. His father, Vinod and mother, Premlata, have expressed dismay over the lackadaisical attitude of the government in bringing the students back.
Likewise, Vidhu Yadav, a resident of Rohta Road, is also pursuing a medicine degree at the National Medical University. His parents are in contact with him through video calls, and according to Vidhu, over 1,200 Indian students are stranded on the university campus. The place where they are is 800 km away from the war zone but they still fear for their lives.
Tamanna Tyagi, a resident of village Panchli, in Kharkhaud area, is a 3rd year medicine student. Her father, Atul Tyagi and mother, Reena Tyagi, said that students in Ukraine are in deep trouble. Tamanna said that students are spending hours in queues just to withdraw money from ATMs; people have started hoarding groceries and other essentials, and they are drinking tank water after boiling it.
{{/usCountry}}Tamanna Tyagi, a resident of village Panchli, in Kharkhaud area, is a 3rd year medicine student. Her father, Atul Tyagi and mother, Reena Tyagi, said that students in Ukraine are in deep trouble. Tamanna said that students are spending hours in queues just to withdraw money from ATMs; people have started hoarding groceries and other essentials, and they are drinking tank water after boiling it.
{{/usCountry}}Mohd Asgar’s son, Arhan, went to Ukraine on February 11. A resident of Village Gokulpur, Arhan too is a 3rd year medicine student. He is currently in Kyiv, which is under attack and over 100 students have taken shelter in bunkers.
Afsa Khan of Kashi village, Charthawal town resident Azeem Alam, Harsh Goel of Budhana (Muzaffarnagar) and Abujar, a resident of Basi Kalan village in Shahpur (Muzaffarnagar), are a few other students who are also stranded there.
Video calls are the only means for parents to stay in touch with their children. Many are also trying to contact officials in New Delhi through local MPs and leaders of the ruling party to ensure the safe return of their wards.
The announcement by the government to initiate evacuations through neighbouring Romania and Poland, has become a ray of hope for distressed parents.
MP of Meerut and Hapur constituency, Rajendra Agarwal, said that two families (one from Hapur and another from Meerut) had approached him with a demand to ensure the safe return of their wards from Ukraine. “I have forwarded their requests to the foreign ministry where officials were working on the issue,” said Aharwal, who has also advised students to be patient and follow the guidelines of the Indian Embassy in Kyiv.