Ukraine war: After walking for miles, Punjab youth stuck at border

Tribune News Service

Aparna Banerji

Jalandhar, February 26

After walking for over 40 km towards the Poland border, Akarsh Dhingra, 21, today sent a picture of his blistered feet, sore from walking to the Shehyni border, a crossing between Ukraine and Poland.

On February 24, Akarsh Dhingra, a Kapurthala resident, who is a student of Poltava University in Ukraine, left the city. Three days on, he is stuck at the Shehyni border, along with thousands of other Indian students, looking for a way out. The students said so far, they had not got any Indian embassy help at the border.

Akarsh’s brother Saksham Dhingra, said, “Akarsh is pursuing a business management course at a university in Poltava. When the war broke out on February 24, he along with a roommate headed to Lviv. They started on Thursday and reached Kyiv on Friday evening by a bus. From there, they hitched a ride with a family to Lviv. First, they were misguided to reach Rava Rusk. Later, they walked to the Shehyni border, but there is no embassy help there. Ukrainians are being allowed across the border, but not Indians. They have only a few biscuits for the night. We don’t know where they will sleep. We appeal to the Indian Government for help.”

Kapurthala resident Jasbir Singh’s son Amitpal Singh is in a Metro bunker at Kharkiv. A medical student at Kharkiv University, Amitpal escaped with his friends and landlord. Now, he along with hundreds of others is holed up in the bunker. With supplies running short, Jasbir said they were facing problems. Though the space is limited, the number of people at the underground facility is increasing with each passing day. “I’m concerned about my son’s well being. He was to return by flight today, but the war broke out. The border is at least 1,200 km away from Kharkiv. These students need to be evacuated by the Indian government.”

Meanwhile, RCF employee Kuldeep Singh, whose son Ekamjit Singh, 19, is also staying at a university bunker in Kharkiv, said, “Constant shelling has been going on there. Poland is at least 18 to 20 hours from the place.”

Stay put, DC urges students

The Kapurthala administration has identified 21 students stuck in Ukraine. DC Deepti Uppal has urged them not to travel without the logistic support of the Indian High Commission in Ukraine. The administration released a helpline number (01822-292001) on Friday, which was flooded with calls. The DC said the data had already been shared with the Punjab Government to further facilitate the Centre to bring back Indians safely.

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