Indian Students Given 4 Hrs To Leave Kharkiv, Raged At Indian Embassy's Short Notice

Amid the growing conflict, the Indian Embassy in Kyiv issued an urgent advisory on March 2 for the students living or stranded in Ukraine's Kharkiv to evacuate the region within four hours. The notice was sent in light of the city's deteriorating situation after it became a target of the Russian bombing.

4 Hours To Leave Kharkiv

On March 2, the Embassy asked all Indian nationals in Kharkiv to leave the city and proceed to Pesochyn, Babai and Bezlyudika in less than four hours, under any circumstances. Reportedly, the Embassy issued the advisory after inputs from the Russian government.

Reportedly, nearly 1,200 students were said to be at the Kharkiv railway station when the advisory was issued.

Students Fumed At Short Notice

But the Embassy's short notice has resulted in massive outrage among students, who said that the officials should have informed them prior, given that the ground reality is different from what is projected.

The students said that the destinations mentioned in the letter are at a distance and reaching in less than four hours amid the firings is difficult. The students questioned the officials on not sending the notice immediately when they anticipated the situation.

"If the situation was this bad, why did the government not ask us to leave before. Students like me repeatedly asked the government to take some action as the situation worsened rapidly. But despite these requests, nothing happened. And, now students have been asked to leave at such short notice," The Hindu quoted Bhavin Bhatia, one of the students who managed to rush to the station and board the train on time.

But she fears many have been left behind. "It would be nearly impossible for everyone to leave in such a hurry. The government should communicate its decision well in time," she added.

Lives Claimed

As per the latest development, two indian students lost their lives. A fourth-year MBBS student at Kharkiv, Naveen SG, died in shelling in the city while standing in a queue outside a grocery store. On Wednesday, February 2, another student Chandan Jindal, who was suffering from a stroke, breathed his last at a hospital in Vinnytsia.

Female Students Safely Evacuated

According to the NDTV report, the female students have been evacuated on priority from Kharkiv and sent to the western border by train with the help of Russians. Efforts are on to evacuate the boys before the due time.

The development comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the situation in the region.

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