Guards kicking us

Students say being turned away by guards at border checkpoints

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine entered the sixth day on Tuesday even as international condemnation and economic sanctions against Moscow continues to rise. 

Meanwhile, thousands of Indians are still stranded in Ukraine, trying to escape the war-hit country.  

Several students from Gujarat have said they are being stopped by the Ukrainian guards at border checkpoints from crossing over to Poland.  

At the Shehyni-Medyka border between Ukraine and Poland, some Indian students were stranded for more than 72 hours to be cleared for evacuation.  

A pupil from Vadodara instructed The Indian Specific, “Now we have been ready within the freezing chilly since Friday night, and the Ukrainian border guards aren’t permitting us to cross over to Poland… They’ve segregated the ladies and boys.

A few of the ladies have been allowed to go after 40 hours; however, there has not been a single Indian allowed after that. They’re hitting and kicking Indian college students, who’re asking questions and telling us to return to our universities. A few of us are injured too….”  

Gyanisha Patel, a student from Vadodara, and her friends cleared the Shehyni check post on Sunday; it took close 36 hours to exit from Ukraine on Monday evening. They were just not willing to stamp our passports for the exit. We have now reached Poland and are awaiting further instructions from the Embassy of India. We have been given to understand that since very few Indian students have been allowed to cross over, we are not a sufficient number for the repatriation flight to take off. Our friends back in Ukraine are at risk, and we are worried about them.”  

“We were made to wait even after being allowed to cross the check post. They were just not inclined to stamp our passports for the exit. Thankfully, we had shelters and food between the checkpoints and the exit points.

We have now reached Poland and are waiting for further instructions from the Embassy of India. We have been given to understand that since very few Indian students have been allowed to cross over, we are not a sufficient number for the repatriation flight to take off. Our friends back in Ukraine are at risk, and we are worried about them.”  

Some Indian students from medical universities in Lviv, who arrived at the Poland-Ukraine border on Sunday, walking eight hours to cover a stretch of 30 kilometres, decided to return to their hostels.  

Faiz Palanpuri, a resident of Vadodara and a first-year student at Danylo Halytsky Lviv Medical National university, said that the students were now following the fresh advisory from the Embassy of India to board a bus to the Ukraine border with Hungary.  

Meanwhile, the ninth Operation Ganga flight has departed for New Delhi from Romania’s capital Bucharest with 218 Indian nationals on board, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar informed on Tuesday.  

“We will not rest until and unless our fellow Indians are safe,” he tweeted. 

On Monday night, another flight had departed for Mumbai from Bucharest with 182 Indian nationals on board.  

Union Ministers Hardeep Singh Puri, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Kiren Rijiju, and Gen (Retd) VK Singh will be travelling to Ukraine’s neighbouring countries as “special envoys” of India to coordinate the evacuation.  

Scindia will look after Romania and Moldova, while Rijiju and Puri will go to Slovakia and Hungary, respectively.  

Singh will be in Poland to manage the evacuation of Indians stuck in Ukraine.  

India on Tuesday will send the first consignment of humanitarian aid and relief supplies to Ukraine at the latter’s request. 

Reportedly, the decision to send relief was taken at a meeting by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday evening.  

The Centre is still working out the quantity of humanitarian relief and medical supplies.

Edited by: Kiran Maharana

Published by: Vishakha Verma