Hundreds of Indian students stand on roadways every morning, thirsty from melting snow and running out of food, hoping “this is the day” when they will be saved from the savagery of the conflict that has consumed the country. However, the wait has grown longer as severe fighting prevents them from crossing the Russian border to safety.
Officials announced on Sunday that India had returned around 15,920 citizens on 76 flights as part of the ‘Operation Ganga’ evacuation mission, which was undertaken in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, over 700 students remain imprisoned in Sumy, facing a desperate battle for survival as supplies run out and escape routes are barred by severe fighting.
They have abandoned their plans to walk to the Russian border amid artillery and missile barrages, a day after the Indian government guaranteed them that they would be safely evacuated.
Indian Embassy said evacuation is almost complete in Hungary
According to the Indian embassy in Hungary, the evacuation mission from the nation is nearing completion as it begins the final leg of flights.
After crossing into these countries from Ukraine via land border transit points, India has begun taking back its citizens from Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Moldova. On February 26, the first flight from Bucharest returned with the trapped Indians.
Around 2,500 Indians were evacuated on 13 aircraft in the last 24 hours, according to officials. They claimed seven flights were expected to return trapped Indians from Hungary, Romania, and Poland during the next 24 hours.
“So far, 76 planes have returned approximately 15,920 Indians to India as part of Operation Ganga.” “In the last 24 hours, 13 flights have landed,” an official stated.
‘India’s Increasing Influence’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in Pune at the time, credited ‘Operation Ganga’s success to India’s expanding worldwide influence. Mr. Modi said after inaugurating the golden jubilee celebrations of Symbiosis University and its Arogya Dham, “We are removing lakhs of Indians safely from the combat zone through Operation Ganga.”
“Thousands of students from Ukraine’s war zone have returned to their country as a result of India’s expanding influence,” the Prime Minister remarked, adding that many large countries were having difficulty doing so for their residents.
The Embassy’s Request to Indian students to report at designated locations
The Indian embassy in Hungary issued an “urgent announcement” on Twitter, requesting that Indian students still in Hungary report to designated contact locations in order to be returned to India.
“Important Notice: Today, the Embassy of India commences the final phase of Operation Ganga flights. Students staying in their own housing (not provided by the Embassy) are asked to report at @Hungariacitycentre, Rakoczi Ut 90, Budapest, between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m “It was stated.
Over 21,000 Indians have left Ukraine since an advisory was issued weeks before the conflict began, according to officials. They claim that 19,920 of them have already arrived in India.
Harjot Singh, an Indian student who was wounded many times while attempting to flee Kyiv, Ukraine, a few days ago, will return to Delhi on Monday, according to Minister of State for Civil Aviation V.K. Singh.
“Harjot Singh, an Indian, was killed in Kyiv during the war. In the midst of the turmoil, his passport was also misplaced “The Minister, who was dispatched to Poland to supervise the evacuation efforts from there, tweeted that the student would be arriving in India on Monday with him.
Shelling kills an Indian student
On March 1, Karnataka medical student Naveen SG was killed in shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine, while he went out to buy food for himself and his classmates.
Due to the Russian military onslaught, Ukraine’s airspace has been closed since February 24. Once Indian people trapped in Ukraine crossed into neighboring nations such as Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland, they were airlifted out.
However, because of the Russians’ constant bombing and shelling, evacuating those stranded in Sumy on the eastern side poses a formidable challenge. Exasperated by the delay in their evacuation, students in Sumy recorded a videotape on Saturday saying that they had opted to risk walking to the Russian border in the freezing weather amid the fighting, raising concerns about their safety in New Delhi’s corridors of power.
The Indian government instructed the students to remain in shelters after the video went viral, promising them that they would be rescued shortly.
While the war entered its tenth day on Sunday, India “seriously pushed” the Russian and Ukrainian governments through numerous channels for an urgent ceasefire in Sumy to ensure the safe exit of over 700 Indian students trapped there.