One of Muktsar returns home, kin of other clutch on to hope

Harpreet Singh Kotbhai, a former MLA from Malaut said 10 students from his constituency are stuck in Ukraine out of which one is expected to reach Punjab on Sunday.

Mansa deputy commissioner Mohinder Pal said, “From our district,16 students and one person on work permit are stuck in Ukraine. We have told them to wait for the evacuation plans of the Indian Embassy”.

Meanwhile, the parents of most of the students stranded in Ukraine said they didn’t expect the situation to escalate so fast. Monika Goyal, mother of Piyush Goyal who is a fourth year student at Kharkiv National Medical University, said, “The colleges kept conducting offline classes and students were told not to worry. Still we had been trying for tickets…”

Piyush told his family that he was staying in a rented flat along with another person from Maur Mandi of Bathinda. Piyush said that most of the locals had left the city as bombings continue. “I guess the evacuation from Kharkiv is delayed as the area is close to the Russian border. We are praying that our children reach home safe and sound,” said Monika.

Jatinderjit Kaur, another student at Kharkiv National Medical University, was lucky enough as she reached her hometown Faridkot on February 20. “I was quick to take a call and lucky that I could get a ticket home,” she said.

Two more students, both from Mansa, had returned bfeore Russian invasion began.

Rajesh Soni, a Fazilka-based jeweller whose 22-year-old daughter Heena returned from Ukraine on February 20, said, he had booked her ticket even the university authorities at Lviv city kept telling students that they will be continuing with offline classes. “Local administration should have guided international students. My daughter is in contact with other students of her college and a number of them moved towards Poland border where were waiting for Embassy officials. Local Ukrainian people offered them refreshment,” said Rajesh.

Meanwhile, information from Fazilka administration revealed that so far families of eight students have contacted them. Similarly families of two students contacted the Ferozepur administration.

Barnala DC Kumar Saurabh Raj said, “Twenty two students from our district are in Ukraine. We are yet to know whether they have reached the safe zone or not”.