60% Indians in Ukraine crossed borders: Centre
KOCHI: The Union government on Wednesday claimed that of the 20,000 Indian nationals in Ukraine, 60% have already crossed the borders of the war-hit country. Of them, 30% have reached India and the others are in neighbouring countries and are safe.
“The government is also taking necessary measures to evacuate the remaining 40% of the Indian nationals still stuck in Ukraine by using all its means,” the government informed the Kerala High Court. The Centre submitted this when the petitions filed by a parent and Kerala High Court Advocates Association seeking to initiate steps to repatriate Keralites stranded in Ukraine came up for hearing.
The situation in Kharkiv is volatile. The city is under heavy shelling and it is advisable for Indian students to stay put wherever they are for their physical safety, said S Manu, Assistant Solicitor-General of India.
He said the Government of India is taking all necessary measures for repatriation of the Indians in general and students in particular.
The petitioners alleged that Indians are faced with mass discrimination and torture by Ukrainian Army and border patrol units. One of the main reasons for their plight is the lack of presence of representatives of the Indian Embassy.
The ASG replied that more than half a million Ukrainians and foreign expatriates fled westward from conflict zones to land borders with neighbouring countries. This extraordinary exodus of lakhs clogged the borders.
More students arrive
A total of 154 students arrived on Wednesday from war-torn Ukraine. The state government had made arrangements to bring 170 of the 190 students to Kochi in a chartered flight. With this, the total number of Malayali students who arrived in the state has gone up to 398.Buses were arranged in Kochi to all districts for the convenience of students from districts other than Ernakulam.
Another batch of 12 students were sent to Kochi in two separate flights, two were sent to Kannur and five to Thiruvananthapuram, a Norka official said. While four aircraft with Indian nationals will arrive on Thursday, eight flights have been scheduled for Friday. Indian nationals will be evacuated from Ukraine’s neighbouring countries such as Poland, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia to Delhi and Mumbai. The state government has made all arrangements for the further journey of Malayali students to their home districts, the official added.