Scared of the shelling and weary of waiting to be rescued, Indian students stranded in Sumy in north-eastern Ukraine posted a video clip Saturday morning, announcing that they had decided to risk the walk to the Russian border.
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Within 90 minutes of the video posting, the Indian government responded, asking them to remain inside the shelters and assured them that they will soon be evacuated.
Dr Priyanka Aher, sister of Mayuri Aher who is among 800 students stuck in hostels in Sumy, said: “The students received a call from the Indian embassy today after the video was released. The Indian government promised to evacuate the students soon and cautioned them against self-evacuation.”
“Their coordinator, Renish Joseph, received a phone call from the embassy as well as their university… Joseph called the students and informed them that buses will be sent to evacuate them. The students said they will wait for the buses but (if the buses don’t show up), they will have no option but to leave Sunday morning,” she said.
Have advised our students to take safety precautions, stay inside shelters and avoid unnecessary risks.
Ministry and our Embassies are in regular touch with the students.
— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) March 5, 2022
Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, in a Twitter post, said, “We are deeply concerned about Indian students in Sumy, Ukraine. Have strongly pressed Russian and Ukrainian governments through multiple channels for an immediate ceasefire to create a safe corridor for our students. Have advised our students to take safety precautions, stay inside shelters and avoid unnecessary risks. Ministry and our Embassies are in regular touch with the students.”
The remarks came after a video clip of the students in Sumy began doing the rounds of social media. It was a clip of a woman student who, standing with her colleagues, said, “We are students of Sumy State University. It is the tenth day of war. Today, we got news that Russia has announced a ceasefire to open humanitarian corridors for two cities. One of them is Mariupol which is 600 km away from Sumy. Since morning, we are constantly listening to bombardment, shelling and street fights. We are afraid, we have awaited a lot and we cannot wait anymore. We are risking our lives, we are moving towards the border. If anything happens to us, all the responsibility will be of the government and Indian embassy. If anything happens to anyone of us, then Mission Ganga will be a big failure.”
Another student said: “This is the last video from the Sumy State University students. We are risking our lives, we are going towards the border opened by Russia. This is our last request and last video. Just pray for us. We are moving at our own risk.” A third student shouted: “We need out government right now.” The clip ended with students chanting “Bharat Mata ki jai”.
The students, stuck in the college hostels in Sumy, woke up to the sound of bombing Saturday morning. Relatives in India are worried because the students are stepping out – since there is no water supply, they are collecting snow and melting it for use.
In Mumbai, a group of students who escaped from Kyiv and Kharkiv on March 1 and boarded a flight home from Budapest, said they saw rockets flying and explosions. They appealed to the government to rescue those still stuck in eastern Ukraine.