Won’t leave till the last student reaches home: Education agents

Medical students in a bunker in Kharkiv

Students who were safely moved to Hungary on Thursday told mid-day it wasn't the Indian Embassy or the government that planned their evacuation from Kharkiv, but it was their education agents. Professors, whose agencies helped youngsters from India secure admission in Ukraine, have arranged buses to get 500 students across the border to Hungary. They have vowed to return home only when every single student is out of the war zone.

The Mumbai-based students told mid-day over the phone that these agents are now god for them. They are risking their lives by going out in the war zone, amid bombing and firing, and bringing food for them, said students who arrived in Hungary on Thursday evening. They started early Wednesday and travelling about 2,000 km, they crossed over to Hungary. Sion resident Neha Dingankar, a third year MBBS student at Kharkiv National Medical University, told mid-day they were alive only because of these agents.

"The Indian Embassy and the Indian government didn't plan our evacuation from Kharkiv. Instead the agents, who are working in Ukraine and who looked after our admission in the university, have come forward to help us. Around six of them are regularly helping students stuck in the bunker, and it is with their help that we crossed the border. They have also decided that they won't go home until every single Indian student is out of danger. We salute them. They are god for us right now," she said.

Mohammad Faisal

"These agents, also professors at the Kharkiv university, run Edu Pedia agency in Ukraine. Dr Karan Sandhu and his group, including Dr Pooja Praharaj, Dr Vasu and Dr Swadhin are helping us. The agents are risking their lives for our safety," Dingankar added.

"We were regularly contacting the Indian embassy and the Indian government to rescue us, and their only reply was asking us to cross the border from where they will take us to home. There was no evacuation plan for us. We were stuck in between bombing and firing, and were frightened. After the Indian embassy issued an advisory asking us to leave Kharkiv at any cost, these agents rushed to our bunker and guided us for the evacuation plan," she said.

"They took us to Pisochyn village outside Kharkiv and gave us a place to stay. They made food and gave us medicines...We walked for 25 km and got to the buses that were charging $150 per student. They arranged for the transport to Lviv. At check posts, they talked to the Russian army for permission to move ahead. Somehow, we reached the border on Thursday afternoon and crossed over to Hungary at 7 pm."

Dr Pooja Praharaj, one of the education agents

More than 800 Indian students are still stuck in Pisochyn village. Dr Sandhu told mid-day, "We are trying to take them to a safe place. There is no evacuation plan, and we can't leave these children to die. We will go home only after all Indian students are at theirs, safely." "We received no official help in Kharkiv. No Indian government aid has arrived yet. Not even a loaf of bread. Is this the punishment you are giving for choosing a small country to pursue our dreams?" asked Dr Praharaj.

Yash Pratap Joshi, a third-year student, is among the 800 students waiting for their turn to reach safety. "I hope we will also cross the border very soon. We are living at a boarding school in the village and have all facilities, including food. We tried to leave earlier and walked to the railway station for 20 km, but in vain. These agents, who teach at the Kharkiv National College of University, were there at the time of our admission and they are now working as our saviour."

‘No one's responding'

The situation in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, was no better. Students, who managed to leave Kyiv, are disappointed at the lack of help from the government. Kshitij Singh, a resident of New Delhi and a first-year MBBS student at Vinnytsia National Pirogov Medical University, and other students reached Budapest, Hungary, a couple of days back on their own. "There was no help from the Indian authorities. There was no evacuation from Kyiv. We travelled on our own for around 1,600 km to reach Budapest. Now, we are trying to contact the Indian embassy here, but nobody is responding," he added.

With inputs from Anurag Kamble

800+
No. of students who are stranded in Kharkiv