Leave Kharkiv Immediately: Indian Embassy in Ukraine Tells Indians Amid Escalation of War

New Delhi: In an urgent advisory, the Indian embassy in Ukraine on Wednesday asked all Indians stranded in Kharkiv to leave the conflict zone immediately.

The embassy asked Indians to proceed to settlements in Pesochin, Babaye and Bezlyudovka as soon as possible.

"For their safety and security, they must leave Kharkiv immediately repeat immediately in the light of the detriorating situation. They should proceed to Pesochin, Babaye and Bezlyudovka as soon as possible for their safety," the embassy said.

"Under all circumstances, they must reach these settlements by 1800 hours (Ukrainian time) today," it said.

The advisory did not specify where these places are but according to Google Maps, they appear to be on the outskirts of Kharkiv.

The advisory came amid raging fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces in Kharkiv.

Naveen Shekarappa Gyanagoudar, a fourth-year medical student at the Kharkiv National Medical University, was killed in intense shelling in Kharkiv on Tuesday. 

Jammu: Relatives of Stranded Students in Kharkiv Protest 

 Jammu: Carrying 'save our children' placards, scores of parents of those stuck in war-torn Ukraine's Kharkiv city staged a protest here on Wednesday and appealed to the Centre to immediately evacuate the students.

They also asked the people of the country to offer special prayers for the safe return of the trapped students.

 According to official sources, evacuation flights have brought back around 2,000 Indians stranded in Ukraine since February 26. As many as 31 evacuation flights will be operated till March 8 to neighbouring countries of crisis-hit Ukraine and will bring back more than 6,300 Indians stranded in the eastern European nation.

The protest was staged outside the Press Club, a day after a medical student from Karnataka's Haveri district was killed in intense shelling in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv – the first Indian casualty in the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Carrying placards which read “save our children”, the worried parents claimed that no help was extended by the Indian Embassy to the students who are facing extremely difficult situations.

“The government needs to act fast to help the students in their safe evacuation … the students are running short of food and drinking water and they were told to cross the border into neighbouring countries on their own,” one of the protesters, Rajinder Paul Singh, told reporters.

He said there is snow and they are fearful for the lives of their children who have been in a miserable condition for the past seven days.

Another protester said he talked to his daughter who told him that there are 700 Indian students who have left their medical college this morning and are walking to cross the border.

Narrow Escape for Kerala Student

New Delhi: It was a providential escape for 25-year-old medical student Assoiun Hussain who was just 50 metres away when his batchmate Naveen Shekarappa Gyanagoudar was killed in shelling in war-torn Ukraine's Kharkiv town.

A day later, Hussain's family in Kerala are thankful he escaped but also know that many perils lie ahead.

Assoiun along with others is on his way to western Ukraine from Kharkiv to escape the fierce Russian assault, his brother Afsal Hussain said.

Sought PM @narendramodi's urgent intervention with the Russian leadership to set up a humanitarian corridor for our students to come out of the war zone. Requested urgent steps to provide food & water to those in bunkers with the help of concerned governments and NGOs like @ifrc. pic.twitter.com/vRG61pd0hY

— Pinarayi Vijayan (@vijayanpinarayi) March 2, 2022

"My brother had taken shelter in an underground metro rail station, which was 50 metres from the place Naveen died. He was his batchmate," Afsal Hussain said as he and others in Kerala's Kannaur city scan social media platforms for updates.

Several students, who are holed up in bunkers in Ukrainian cities, are unable to escape because of the continuous shelling, say parents, who have also flagged their concern over the Indian embassy's advisory asking students to reach Ukraine's borders for evacuation.

"They are children and not matured enough to reach borders by themselves. Some sort of support should be provided to them," said R Vasudevan, whose 21-year-old son Girish is stranded in Kharkiv.

Adding to their miseries, are social media posts attacking parents for sending their children to study outside India. Afsal Hussain said that this has worsened the situation.

Spell out Clear Evacuation Strategy: Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday asked the government to disclose how many students have been evacuated and how many are still stranded in Ukraine, and demanded that it spells out its "clear strategy" to their families.

The opposition party also launched a "SpeakUpForStudents" campaign on social media in favour of students to exert pressure on the government to take steps to ensure early safe evacuation of all Indian students from Ukraine.

The party's students' wing NSUI also staged a protest in the national capital to press the government for taking urgent steps to bring back all Indian students from the danger zone. 

AISA Protest in Delhi

New Delhi: Members of the Left-affiliated All India Students' Association held a protest at Jantar Mantar here on Wednesday demanding the evacuation of Indian students stranded in war-ravaged Ukraine.

The protesters carrying placards raised slogans supporting Ukraine.

The placards carried by the protesters read -- 'Indian government must ensure safe return of trapped Indian citizens' and 'end the war before it ends you'.

Around 15 to 20 AISA members held the protest at Jantar Mantar in central Delhi.

Jawaharlal Nehru University student and AISA activist Dolan Samanta said, "We have come here to protest against the war. We demand that diplomatic should be held and peace prevails.

"We are also protesting against the Indian government because we want them to take responsibility for the death of a fellow student from Karnataka who was studying in Ukraine. We want the Indian government to immediately bring back all the citizens and students stuck in Ukraine."