Russia-Ukraine War: India expresses concern regarding 700 students struck in Sumy
Government of India is focusing on evacuating people from the Eastern part of Ukraine particularly Pisochin and Sumy.
The government of India is focusing on evacuating people from the Eastern part of Ukraine particularly Pisochin and Sumy. The situation in Sumy is of concern as there are around 700 Indians living in bunkers, unable to get out.
A video of Indian students from the Ukrainian city of Sumy is doing rounds on social media in which they have urged officials to help them evacuate as it sees a rise in hostilities. Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Arindam Bagchi briefing media in New Delhi said: “We are concerned about Sumy.” Sumy’s situation is dangerous due to continuous fights as well as attacks and it is also disconnected from other parts of Ukraine.
Sharing information about the evacuation exercise, Operation Ganga, Bagchi said that 16 flights are scheduled for the next 24 hours, including an Indian Air Force's C-17 aircraft. Talking about Pisochin he said: “We have managed to get some buses there. 5 buses already operational, more buses later in the evening; 900-1000 Indians are stranded in Pisochin & 700+ in Sumy.”
More than 600 Indian students are living inside bunkers in Sumy and as per reports, the city's electricity, heating and water systems have shut down owing to continuous Russian shelling.
Pictures shared by these students to CNNNews18 showed many Indian students huddled in a bunker at an unknown location in the city.
Bagchi informed that over 20,000 Indians have left the Ukraine border since the Government of India issued advisories. “There are more people, but it's reassuring to see that these many people have left Ukraine,” he said.
Kanimozhi urges EAM S. Jaishankar to rescue students from Sumy
DMK leader and Member of Parliament, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi has sent to letter to Union Minister for External Affairs, S. Jaishankar urging him to rescue 700 students stranded in Sumy.
She writes: “There are more than 700 Indian students who are still in Sumy State University in eastern Ukraine. The situation is critical and it's a volatile place with frequent bombings and shelling due to the Ukraine-Russian war.”
Russia's National Defense Control Center has deployed around 130 buses to evacuate the students who are in Sumy State University and the Kharkiv region. The buses are at present stationed at Nekhoteyevka & Sudtha checkpoints in the Belgorod Region of Russia, waiting to enter Ukraine. The students are unable to board these buses as students are far from these checkpoints and are not allowed to move towards the places where the buses are stationed.
“I request you to immediately speak to the Ukrainian authorities to coordinate and help in the evacuation process and to allow the students to hoard these buses at the earliest, so the Indian Students can move to safe zones from where they can be flown to India,” she writes.
Read More:
Follow Shiksha.com for latest education news in detail on Exam Results, Dates, Admit Cards, & Schedules, Colleges & Universities news related to Admissions & Courses, Board exams, Scholarships, Careers, Education Events, New education policies & Regulations.
To get in touch with Shiksha news team, please write to us at news@shiksha.com
Abhay an alumnus of IIMC and Delhi University, has over a decade long experience of reporting on various beats of journalism. During his free time he prefers listening to music or play indoor and outdoor games.