New Delhi: Indian medical students still stranded on the outskirts of war-torn Ukraine’s Kharkiv say they are not aware of any hostage situation at Kharkiv train station, even after Russian President Vladimir Putin made the claim again in a national address Thursday night.
The Indians, who ThePrint spoke to over the phone Friday, added that most students had managed to catch trains to the city of Lviv over the past three-four days, and others who couldn’t are currently in safe locations in Pisochyn — located 11 km from Kharkiv’s city centre.
Hours after India’s Ministry of External Affairs dismissed Russia’s claims of Indian students being held hostage by Ukrainian army personnel at Kharkiv, Putin had reiterated Thursday that the students were being “held prisoner” at a train station in the city.
ThePrint had reported Thursday that around 1,000 Indian students remain stranded in Pisochyn, a day after the Indian embassy directed citizens to leave Kharkiv.
The students said they had left their underground bomb shelters early Wednesday to catch trains to Lviv from Kharkiv’s local station. However, only female students were able to board after local residents were given priority.
Students recalled chaotic scenes at the train station, including heavy shelling that continued as they waited on crowded platforms. Those who were unable to catch trains proceeded on foot to Pisochyn.
Two Indian students have died so far amid Russia’s war on Ukraine — one due to shelling, and another from a brain stroke.
On Friday, Minister of State for Civil Aviation V.K. Singh said an Indian student had reportedly been shot at and injured in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. This came two days after Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said that all Indian nationals had left Kyiv.
Also Read: ‘We’ll find our way’: Indian students leaving Kharkiv on their own, say embassy gave up on them
‘There are no Indian students at Kharkiv train station’
Swadhin Mohapatra, 30, a doctor and alumnus of Kharkiv National Medical University, who is coordinating efforts to evacuate stranded Indian students in Pisochyn, said he had no knowledge of any hostage situation at Kharkiv train station.
“I am not aware of any hostage situation. There are currently no Indians at Kharkiv train station,” he told ThePrint.
He had earlier told ThePrint that there are approximately 965 Indian students put up at two safe locations at Pisochyn — 420 in one spot and 545 in another.
Another student, Ekta Saroha, who caught a train to Lviv earlier this week, crossed the Polish border and was evacuated to India Friday, said: “As far as I know, a majority of Indian students have left Kharkiv. There are some on the outskirts. I don’t recall anyone being kept hostage at the station.”
Aniketh Sheeparamatti, 21 — a friend of Naveen Shekharappa Gyanagoudar, the Indian student killed in shelling in Kharkiv earlier this week — who is currently in Pisochyn, said that while students faced discrimination at the train station, there were no reports of hostages.
“Most of the students either caught trains to Lviv over the past three days or are already at borders waiting to be evacuated. The rest are here in Pisochyn. Ukrainians are nice people. They did discriminate against us yesterday at the train station, but we are not aware of any hostage situation,” he told ThePrint.
Male students ‘slapped’ at station, Ukrainian soldiers ‘helpful’
Some students recalled their male classmates being assaulted while trying to board trains.
Anjali Kumari, 20, a student of Kharkiv National Medical University and one of the few women who weren’t able to board a train to Lviv, told ThePrint: “It was quite hectic at the station. They were giving priority to locals and Indian girls. When some of my male classmates tried to board, the Ukrainian station guards slapped and kicked them.”
Sahil Saifi, 21, alleged that some Ukrainian security personnel at the station had intimidated the students by pointing guns in their faces. He also recalled some personnel helping out students while they were walking towards Pisochyn with Indian flags in hand.
“When we were waiting for the trains, Ukrainian personnel were asking us questions about who we were and why we were in Ukraine. They were pointing guns in our faces. It was quite scary,” he said.
“But some Ukrainian soldiers were also helpful to us when we were walking to Pisochyn. We were 5 km out of the city centre when there was a bridge ahead that we had to cross. On the bridge, some soldiers gave us biscuits,” added Saifi.
ThePrint had earlier reported that while at the train station, students had heard loud shelling that caused them to take refuge in an underground metro station nearby. According to student Khwaish Thapa, 19, who is currently in Pisochyn, Ukrainian army personnel guided students to such tunnels where they could take refuge.
Asked how she knew they were Ukrainian, Thapa said they all had the blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag stitched to their uniforms.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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