'Dragged women by hair': Indian students allege assault by soldiers at Ukraine border

The Indian students said a bonfire helped them face the frigid temperatures

About 250 Indian students were allegedly assaulted by Ukrainian soldiers at the Poland border on Sunday. The students, who are awaiting evacuation, said the soldiers also fired in the air to disperse them, while some of them dragged the women in their group by the hair. "We will be safe in Poland, but these guards are not letting us cross the border," said a student.

Over 2,000 students are waiting to cross to the other side from war-hit Ukraine. Indians students assembled at the Sahiniy Medyka border told mid-day that they have travelled more than 300 km to reach the spot, which is about 3 km from the Poland border post. The crowd is swelling with every passing day, they said.

Indian students waiting to cross over to Poland at the Sahiniy Medyka border

On Sunday, a battalion of the Ukrainian Army allegedly attacked the students with rods, dragged them away and even fired in the air to disperse them. The Ukrainian soldiers are not letting Indian and Nigerian students cross the border, a few Indian students told mid-day. "The guards are demanding $100 or 3,006.39 Ukrainian hryvnias from each of us," said a student.

Jayesh Sarmalkar, 21, from Ghatkopar, said he has been waiting at the Poland border since February 26. The 3rd year medicine student said he was among those who were threatened at gunpoint and humiliated. He said the guards also tried to run a car over the students over with a car.

Sarmalkar said, "The Indian embassy told us that we only have to cross this border and they are waiting on the other side to take us back to India. However, we are not being allowed to cross over. The soldiers are taking advantage of the misery of the people. We don't have any cash to bribe them with." "We left the border and are now living in a hostel in Lviv city. At the hostel, food and other things are available. We are for a call from the Indian embassy," Sarmalkar said.

Screen grabs showing soldiers pushing students

Another student Mohommod Danish Al Ansari, a Delhi resident, said, "It is better to die an honourable death in the hands of Russian soldiers than be humiliated by these Ukrainian guards and army personnel. No return cab is available from the border to Lviv. Not a single Ukrainian soul helped us even though their cars and buses were going empty. We travelled over 25 km on foot. Humanity doesn't exist among Ukrainians."

Sarmalkar said the temperature dropped to -7 degrees Celsius followed by snowfall. "We spent the entire night on the road with a born fire. Many students fell sick and started vomiting due to the sudden change in temperature. Many have decided to return. We tried to enter a shelter near the border but they didn't allow us to stay there."

A soldier dragging a student at the Poland border

‘Cannot just step out'

Santacruz resident Rahul Lallan Gupta, who is in Kyiv, said, "I also tried to go out but saw citizens with guns. The government has given all Ukrainian citizens guns to protect themselves. I am staying put here until we get a message from the Indian embassy. The situation is worsening day by day. Sirens are blaring non-stop. So are messages from Ukrainian soldiers asking people to stay alert. I miss my family so much." While the Indian government has begun operating rescue flights from neighbouring countries, there are still 12,000-15,000 Indian students stuck in Ukraine.

12k-15k
Indian students still in Ukraine