New Delhi. India has urged for a local ceasefire between Russian and Ukrainian troops in eastern Ukraine to help evacuate Indian citizens trapped in conflict zones. be easy At the same time, India said that the decision taken by both the sides (Russia and Ukraine) regarding the creation of safe corridors for the evacuation of the common man is yet to take shape. The Ministry of External Affairs said that around 20,000 Indians have left the Ukrainian border to be safe after the first advisory on the war-torn country was issued.
At the same time, there are reports that a student from Delhi was hit by multiple bullets, but he miraculously survived the attack. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday chaired another high-level review meeting amid the ongoing campaign for the safe evacuation of Indians from Ukraine. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba and top officials of the Prime Minister’s Office were present in the meeting.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said that about 300 Indians are in Kharkiv, 700 in Sumi, where fierce fighting is going on. He said more than 900 Indians were evacuated in five buses from Pisochin, a suburb of Kharkiv.
He told a media briefing that India is primarily focused on evacuating its citizens from eastern Ukraine, including Kharkiv and Sumi, and the total number of Indians stranded in the war-torn country is between 2,000 and 3,000.
Asked about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s statement on Thursday that some Indians were being held hostage by Ukrainian troops, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson once again rubbished the claim, saying India had no such information. or no report.
A 31-year-old Indian student, Harjot Singh, was gunned down while trying to escape from war-torn Kyiv in Ukraine and described himself as lucky to survive despite suffering four bullets, including one in the chest. Recalling the events of February 27, Harjot, a Delhi resident, said, “We were sitting in a cab to leave. We were stopped at a barricade and then shots were fired.
I thought the time had come. By the grace of God I survived.” Harjot is being treated at a hospital in Kyiv. When Harjot regained consciousness a few days later, his relatives here heaved a sigh of relief when they were told that he had miraculously escaped bullets. Harjot, along with two more men, took a cab to the city of Liev to escape to Kyiv. He told PTI over phone, “I don’t know what happened to the people who were with me. I thought I wouldn’t survive anymore.”
Bagchi said that India has also evacuated a Bangladeshi national as part of its campaign to bring back Indians stranded in Ukraine. He said India is in touch with all stakeholders on the evacuation operation and has urged for a local ceasefire in the conflict zone to evacuate them.
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A foreign ministry spokesperson said India did not see any further activity after learning on Thursday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed on the need to build a humanitarian aid corridor to help the common man in the safe evacuation of conflict zones. Is. Bagchi said, “We are not seeing anything on the ground in terms of its implementation. We are keeping a close watch on this. ,
“If it happens, it will definitely help our process,” he said. We have asked both sides to end the enmity…whatever is possible for a local ceasefire or eviction of our people from conflict zones.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s adviser, Mykhailo Podoliak, said that after talks between Russia and Ukraine, the two sides had agreed to build a safe corridor for the common man.
On Russian reports that Moscow has arranged 130 buses to evacuate Indians from cities in eastern Ukraine, Bagchi said they are about 50-60 km from the place where Indian students are stranded. “They are far away,” he said. We don’t see a safe way to reach them. I urge the parties concerned to at least have a local ceasefire so that the students can go to the buses. ,
Bagchi said that 15 flights have reached India in the last 24 hours as part of the evacuation operation. More than 3,000 people have been brought back through these and 16 more flights are scheduled in the next 24 hours. The government is running ‘Operation Ganga’ to rescue Indian citizens from Ukraine. (agency)