‘It was raining bullets’: Indian student shot at in Kyiv

Ukraine crisis: The student, Delhi's Harjot Singh, said he was returning to Kyiv after making a failed attempt to escape the war-hit city on Sunday, when his cab came under attack.

An Indian student on Friday said he was shot at and injured while he was trying to flee Ukrainian capital Kyiv earlier this week, amid the ongoing invasion by Russian forces.

Providing an account of the incident, Harjot Singh, whose family resides in Delhi’s Chhatarpur area, said he was returning to Kyiv after making a failed attempt to escape the war-hit city on Sunday, when his cab came under attack.

Ministry of external affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi later told reporters that the student was safe and recovering in the hospital.

Providing an account of the incident, Harjot Singh, whose family resides in Delhi’s Chhatarpur area, said he was returning to Kyiv after making a failed attempt to escape the war-hit city on Sunday, when his cab came under attack and he sustained multiple bullet injuries. He added that he also suffered a fracture on one of his legs.

“When the first bullet hit my left leg, I saw it turning into a J-shaped structure. I fell down on the road. Another bullet hit my chest and the right arm. I lay on the road, wounded, for hours until an ambulance arrived and took me to a hospital. I opened my eyes four days later in the hospital, on Wednesday,” Singh told HT over phone from Kyiv clinical hospital.

The 31-year-old said he had shifted to Kyiv last year for a language course at European language School. As the situation deteriorated in the capital city last week due to shelling and assault by Russian forces, he said he made multiple attempts to leave the city via train at Kyiv railway station.

“None allowed us to board the train. Therefore, on February 27, I along with three others hired a cab to travel to Lviv, more than 500 km away, at an exorbitant rate. But we were stopped at a checkpost outside Kyiv and asked to return back to the city. As soon as we entered the city, our cab was attacked…It was raining bullets all over there. I thought I would die. My mother’s prayers saved my life,” he said, adding that he couldn’t see the attackers amid the chaos.

Singh said he remained unconscious till Wednesday night. He later realised that all his documents, including the passport, were lost in the melee. “I only had my phone with me and it was discharged. On Thursday, I recharged my phone with the help of the doctors (in the hospital) and called my family in Delhi. They were panicking over my sudden disappearance,” he said.

Singh’s mother, Prakash Kaur, said those were the longest four days of her life. “How would a mother feel when her son goes out of contact for four days in a worn-torn country? We were trying to contact his friends there but none was aware of his whereabouts. Finally on Wednesday, we received a call from him. I just can’t explain how much it hurts to know what my son has gone through,” the 57-year-old said.

Singh sought the Indian government’s help to return home. He added that he had not received any assistance from the Indian embassy so far.

“I tried calling the embassy several times but I have not received any assurance as yet. The government is asking students to reach the borders. How can I go to the border when I can’t even stand up on my own? I request the government to provide me with some assistance,” he said.

Kaur too sought the Centre’s assistance in bringing her son back. “My bed-ridden son is on his own in a foreign land amid a war. He won’t be able to go anywhere without the government’s help. I request the government with folded hands to bring my son back to me. Also, evacuate other students stuck there in Ukraine. I can understand the pain of their parents,” she said.

Besides seeking help for evacuation, Singh requested the government to provide him with medical assistance in India. “I don’t want to be a burden on my family. I need proper medical assistance to recover. My family won’t be able to afford that much. I request the government to help me in getting treatment,” he said.

Singh’s father runs a shop of disposable items in the Capital. Singh is the youngest among three siblings.

During a media briefing later in the day, Bagchi announced that the Indian side will pay for Singh’s treatment and is ascertaining his exact location so that he can be evacuated.

On March 1, a young Indian medical student, Naveen SG of Karnataka, was killed in shelling in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv when he ventured out to buy food for himself and fellow students.