India Redoubles Efforts To Evacuate Nationals As Crisis Intensifies In Ukraine

The war in Ukraine came home to India on Tuesday with the loss of a young life. With all indications that the war will intensify in the next couple of hours, New Delhi is redoubling efforts to get its nationals out of Ukraine and on a flight to India and safety. Naveen Shekharappa, 21, a final year medical student from Karnataka died when he was hit by a shell in the eastern city of Kharkiv. The young man’s body has been taken to the morgue for identification. The family has asked for the body to be brought home but in a war situation, this may not be an easy task.

There are a number of Indian students still trapped in Kharkiv and as fighting intensifies the government is trying its best to get them out. However, unless both sides agree to hold fire to allow civilians to get away to safety it could be extremely difficult. The International Committee of the Red Cross is also waiting in the wings to come in as soon as there is a halt to the fighting. Indian diplomats have been in touch with the ICRC in Geneva for help in evacuating students from the hot spots. 

India’s concerns of its citizens caught in the conflict areas are mounting, as the war takes a more serious turn. No one wants another young girl or boy to be killed. Parents and relatives of the remaining 1200 students still stuck in various cities and towns across Ukraine are getting increasingly restive. They want the government to quickly get their children out of harm’s way.

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi once again called a meeting of senior officials to take stock of  `Operation Ganga’’ the rescue mission mounted by the Indian government. The  PM expressed his anguish over the loss of life of a young Indian. The Prime Minister has also been on the phone with leaders of all the countries bordering Ukraine to ask for their assistance in rescuing Indian nationals from airports of their countries.

 Giving details of the evacuation operation at a late evening news conference, foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said.  "We remain very concerned over the situation in Kharkiv, Sumy, and other conflict zones.”

He added that  "Over the next three days, 26 flights have been scheduled to bring back Indian citizens."  Shringla said a C-17 IAF aircraft is expected to fly out at 4 AM on Wednesday to Romania to fly back students who have managed to cross the border. Flights are also operating from Hungary for those who crossed into that country. Besides Bucharest and Budapest, airports in Poland and the Slovak Republic will also be used to operate evacuation flights, he said.  

 Following the news of  Naveen’s tragic death, foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla once again called in the Ukraine and Russia’s envoys to demand ``urgent and safe” passage for Indian nationals caught in the war zone.

Shringla said that all Indian nationals have left Kyiv the capital of Ukraine. Reports of a long column of Russian troops making their way to Kyiv have come in since morning. Civilians have been asked to leave the city. Trains and buses, as well as cars, are winding their way out of Kyiv.

The Indian embassy in Kyiv has shut down with all embassy officials getting out of the city. With most Indian nationals out of the capital, the embassy will move possibly to a city closer to the western border. However, this was not announced at the news conference.