CPI-M MP urges Centre to adopt 'effective strategy' for safely evacuating Indian students stranded in Ukraine

Communist Party of India (Marxist) Rajya Sabha MP from Kerala, Elamaram Kareem on Wednesday has written a letter to Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar urging him to adopt an effective strategy for safely evacuating the Indian students stranded in Ukraine.

In a letter to External Affairs Minister CPI(M) MP said, "I would like to bring to your notice some serious matters of concern which needs urgent intervention from the ministry while appreciating the efforts being taken up by the Centre for bringing back our people from Ukraine."

"It may be noted that the Indian Mission is not responding to distress calls of students from war-affected regions in Eastern Ukraine. They are facilitating the transportation of those who are in the unaffected regions or those who are reaching the borders on their own. The actual priority should be given to people of the most affected regions," the letter read.

Kareem, in the letter, wrote that the "students who are stranded in cities like Kharkiv and Sumi are finding it difficult to survive as these regions continue to be in the active war zone and the supply of essential items can be cut at any time due to the destruction happening there."

"It is highly condemnable that none of these students is contacted by the Embassy officials nor there is any response to their calls to helpline numbers provided by MEA. A week has passed since these students started staying in underground bunkers and metro stations to save their lives from continuous shelling and missile attacks," Elamaram Kareem said in a letter.

Raising questions over the evacuation process, CPI (M) leader said that students from other countries who are stranded in the same region are being rescued by their respective missions in Ukraine, so why can't India do the same?

"Some students who have left Kharkiv on their own risk braving the cold weather condition and the missile attacks are travelling to the borders without any support from the embassy. They also didn't get any response from helpline numbers and are completely uncertain whether they will be able to reach the borders safely," the letter read.

He further alleged that a group of students who left their bunkers in Kharkiv today are also facing the same issue and it is quite unfortunate that the embassy is acting in an irresponsible way which is unacceptable during this emergency situation.

The CPI (M) leader also attached a list of students who neither have been contacted nor given any response by the embassy.

( With inputs from ANI )

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