Indian students allowed to carry pets from Ukraine

Rishabh Kaushik with his dog that he had rescued in Ukraine

Their lives may be in danger, but for about 20 Indian students, the safety of their pets are more important. Moved by their appeal, MP and animal activist Maneka Gandhi urged the Indian authorities to let these students bring the animals to India. Accordingly, the students were given relief.

Indian student Rishabh Kaushik, who hit headlines after he refused to leave a dog he has adopted in Ukraine, sought to draw the attention of the Animal Welfare Board of India saying there are many others like him.

Despite braving food shortage, hostile behaviour by locals and frigid temperatures, a few students had taken their pets to the Poland border. On Wednesday, the Indian government allowed them to carry the animals along with them.

Ashita Bharadwaj, who too has a dog she wants to bring back to India with her

Kaushik, a 3rd year engineering student in Kharkiv, said he had been in touch with the Indian embassy since February 18. Sharing a video with mid-day, he said, "I have a pet dog whom I rescued last February. I can't leave him in Ukraine to die. I sent a dog passport and certificate to the Indian Embassy but they didn't allow me to take him."

He added, "Somehow I managed to take him from the war zone the Kharkiv. I received a letter saying they were allowing pets on flights. I am really thankful to Maneka Gandhi for the help. The other students are also happy." The MP is the found and president of NGO People For Animals (PFA).

Another Indian student Ashita Bharadwaj, who is also stuck in Ukraine, said, "I am also stuck in Ukraine with my dog as they were not allowing us to take our pets. We couldn't have left them alone." PFA's Mumbai president Lata Parmar said, "Our team was currently working on this issue."

Maneka Gandhi told mid-day, "We received a complaint that more than 20 pets including cats and dogs are with Indian students and they were not allowed to take them to India. We talked with the government on Tuesday and on Wednesday, we got permission from the government to take back Indian students along with pets on flights. Still, many students are with their pets at Poland and Romania borders. Pets also have equal rights and we can't leave them to die."