Ukraine crisis: Indian students claim mistreatment after New Delhi abstains from UN vote
- After India abstained from condemning the Russian invasion, some stranded Indian students report facing harassment and hostility by Ukrainian officials at the border with Poland
- With others saying they are in ‘dire straits’ as their money, food and medical supplies run low, New Delhi is feeling the heat to intensify evacuation efforts
Russia is one of India’s closest defence partners, buying billions of dollars of weapons from it.
But Indian nationals stranded in Ukraine say the abstention has resulted in harassment and hostility at the hands of Ukrainian officials.
Multiple Indian media reports quoted students who said they faced discrimination at border checkpoints, resulting in Ukraine’s Ambassador to India, Igor Polikha, holding a briefing on Monday where he gave assurances that Ukraine was doing all it could to help Indian nationals leave.
A dentistry student from Kyiv’s Bogomolets National Medical University told This Week in Asia: “Five of us waited in queues for 14 hours at the Polish-Ukrainian border, but the officials didn’t let us pass. They kept asking us to ‘wait’, even though they were letting the Ukrainians cross over.”
Indian students rush to leave Ukraine after warning by Indian embassy
Polikha said the delays were due to the sheer number of Ukrainians and foreigners attempting to escape to Poland, the Hindustan Times reported.
Asked about reports of discrimination against Indians, he said: “Stop talking about discrimination and racism. Please stop spreading panic.”
He said that he was in regular contact with border guards and commanders and there were “untoward incidents with people from many countries and Ukrainians” as people tried to flee, according to the Hindustan Times article.
Indian students continue to make desperate appeals for help, sharing photos and videos on social media from underground bunkers and bomb shelters, where they have been hiding.
One video that has garnered more than a million views on YouTube shows an Indian mother comforting her daughter in Kyiv from the southern Indian city of Bangalore. In the footage, student Shreya Sunil Kumar says she can hear “bombings” and “gunfire” from the bunker where she has taken shelter, as her teary-eyed mother advises her to be “strong”.
Other students whom This Week in Asia spoke to say they are in “dire straits” as their food and medical supplies are fast running out, while they are continue hiding as repeated sounds of bomb and exploding shrapnel go off.
“Even though Indian embassy officials have helped occasionally, we’re still struggling without food, water and unable to withdraw cash from an ATM,” said an Indian student from the western city of Kharkiv, who declined to be named.
Vijay Kothari, a 21-year-old neurology student at Sumy National University said being stuck in Ukraine was an endless nightmare with “no evacuation in sight”.
Kothari added the situation was getting worse by the minute. “Every time we hear the sound of bombings and tanks roaring, we freeze in terror.”
Kanwal Sibal, India’s former foreign secretary, pointed to reports of discrimination against Indian nationals and suggested such behaviour amounted to “crass diplomatic blackmail”.
According to Sibal, “India has a strong case to bring up with the UN Security Council. But currently, we have no choice but to play it cool because the lives of thousands of students is at stake”.
Some students have also blamed the Indian government.
“While most countries responded swiftly to their nationals’ calls for evacuation, India’s reaction came in very late,” said Kirti Harikrishnan, a third-year student at Odessa National Medical University.
“The problem has been festering since January, but we got to know of the three evacuation fights organised by our government only on February 22, when it was too late.”
The aspiring doctor added that he had tried to leave earlier on his own, but was unsuccessful. “We have filled up at least 15 forms as requested by Indian officials, but we’re still stuck here.”
Another student, who requested anonymity, said Indian authorities had provided information on certain train schedules from Kyiv to different cities, but it’s too “risky” to travel.
While the Indian government has so far managed to successfully evacuate about 6,000 students from Ukraine, 14,000 still remain in the war-ravaged country. Most are waiting to be rescued by the government as Ukrainian air space remains closed for civilian flights.
The cost to leave has also increased. Since the embassy of India declared the advisory for Indian students to leave Ukraine on February 14, a US$400 flight has more than doubled to US$1,000. “My parents have mortgaged our home to get me here. How could I afford to buy such an expensive ticket and return?” he asked.
With calls from Indian students and parents intensifying for urgent evacuation, the government has increased the number of evacuation flights and also dispatched top ministers as special envoys to Ukraine’s neighbouring countries for rescue ops of Indian nationals.
Meanwhile, an Indian student was killed by shelling in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Tuesday, India’s foreign ministry said.
Indian foreign ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said the ambassadors of Russia and Ukraine had been called in “to reiterate our demand for urgent safe passage for Indian nationals who are still in Kharkiv and cities in other conflict zones”.
In a post on Twitter, he added that the ministry was in touch with the family of the student, whom he did not name.