Amid the ongoing crisis in Ukraine after Russia's military operations, family members of one of the Indians stuck in the eastern European country urged the Centre and the state government to bring their daughter and all the other citizens back to the country.
The girl is a third-year medical student, who hails from Karnataka's Yaraguppi village of Kundgol Taluk, is studying in a government medical college in Ukraine.
Speaking to ANI, her father Gangadhar said, "We are in touch with the Embassy. I believe that the government would extend help. I have a request from the government, please bring back all the residents of Karnataka and the rest of the country safely back to India."
Explaining the situation, her daughter is facing in Ukraine amid the tensions, he said that they have been sent to stay in a bunker for their safety and are not allowed to go out.
"She is in the bunker now. They have put all of them in the bunker for safety. She was studying at a government university. She has been studying there for three years. She was about to return home after three months following her exams. Nobody is allowed to go out of the bunker. There is a network problem," he said.
The father said that her daughter's flight tickets for India were booked but all of a sudden "the war broke out".
"Her flight back to India was already booked but the war broke out all of a sudden. 18,000 Indian students are stuck there. One flight for the evacuation of students went there, the second flight was not allowed to land. The war started. So, they are finding it difficult to return home. There is no facility for flight. An emergency war has been declared and so we are in pain," he said.
Meanwhile, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking early evacuation of medical students stranded in Ukraine.
The IMA also urged the government to establish a dedicated helpdesk for medical students and also help them financially.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has sent teams to the land borders with Ukraine in Hungary, Poland, Slovak Republic and Romania to assist the evacuation of Indian nationals.
A number of explosions were heard in the capital city of Ukraine as the Russian special military operation entered the second day, local media reported on Friday.
In his telephonic conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, PM Modi also sensitised him about India's concerns regarding the safety of the Indian citizens in Ukraine, especially students, and conveyed that India attaches the highest priority to their safe exit and return to India.
( With inputs from ANI )
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