Operation Ganga: Spent nights out in the open amid snow, shelling, say returnees

Manav Mander

Ludhiana, March 5

Walking in sub-zero temperature in snow is turning tough for Indian students who are reaching back through Poland and Romania borders. With swollen feet and numb hands, students are facing a tough time but still making it through with a hope that they will be evacuated from Ukraine. With taxi and bus fares going through the roof, students are walking on foot toward the borders.

Pooja, a first-year student at Kyiv Medical University, along with her friends reached the Poland border by train. They waited for seven hours in a long queue to cross the border. “At the Poland border, the weather was freezing cold. Our hands and feet went numb in -3°C,” said Pooja.

Walked 20 km for 2 days

The bus dropped us 20 km short of Romania. We reached the border on foot in two days. Our hands and feet went numb in sub-zero temperature. When we finally crossed over, we were taken 600 km inside Romania. —Mohd Zaid Saddiqi, Returnee student

Pooja along with her friends walked miles to reach the railway station. From there, they boarded a train to Lviv. It was a nine-hour journey. After that they arranged a bus for $100 and reached the Poland border.

Tanu Shree, an MBBS student at Ternopil National Medical University, walked 50 km to reach the border. “We had to spend sleepless nights in snowfall. We boarded a bus that left us midway; we had no other option other than to walk as taxi and bus operators were charging exorbitantly,” said Tanu.

She and her friends walked the whole night and the following day to reach the border. But before they could enter Poland, they had to again wait for the whole night in open amidst snowfall without food or water. It was in the evening next day that they were allowed to cross the first check point. After walking for 5 km, they again spent the whole night in open at the second check point. It was on the third day that they were allowed to cross the border.

“On the one side, we were braving harsh winter conditions and on the other, keeping ourselves calm amid constant shelling and firing,” she said. Mohd Zaid Saddiqi, who studies at Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University, walked for two days amidst

-4°C to reach Romania border. He has landed in India safely.