Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, 26 Feb: Arunachalee student Gumin Jerang, a final year medical student of the VN Karazin Kharkiv National University in Kharkiv, Ukraine, is reportedly stranded along with many other Indian students.
Jerang hails from Pangin in Siang district.
He along with other Indian students is currently stranded in Kharkiv, which is the northeastern province of Ukraine near the Russian border. Its proximity to the Russian border is posing a hindrance to the evacuation of the stranded students as all roads are blocked and curfew has been imposed in the city following Russian aggression. Only those in the western part of Ukraine are currently able to leave the country and evacuate to nearby countries of Poland, Romania and Belarus.
Jerang informed that he and other students are taking shelter in a makeshift bunker in a metro station to stay safe from the bombing raids. He, however, stated that the students may run out of food, and appealed to the Indian embassy in Ukraine to provide ration to the stranded students as immediate help.
The Arunachal Times spoke to Jerang’s mother Topi Jerang over the phone. She stated that her son called her up to inform her that he is safe along with other students but they need ration as they have limited food with them.
“Despite the situation, he tried to put on a brave face and asked me not to worry much, but I am anxious about his safety. He along with all those students need ration if they have to remain there for some more time. I am worried as I see news reports about the situation there with the bombings going on everywhere. How would I know that he is safe there? What if the bombings hit the underground bunkers? Nothing is safe there in this situation,” she stated.
She, however, expressed hope that the Indian government would act promptly and ensure the safe return of the stranded students.
“I appeal to the government of India to please ensure that all of the students there are evacuated safely and returned to their respective families,” she said.
Earlier in the day, India carried out evacuation of its stranded nationals. The first batch of Indian students left Chernivtsi in a bus for the Ukraine-Romania border and an Air India plane departed from the Mumbai airport on Saturday morning for Romanian capital Bucharest to evacuate Indians stranded there.
As per the latest reports, over 200 students landed in Mumbai on Saturday.
