Safe passage
The unfortunate passing of an Indian medical student in Kharkiv city, Ukraine has only highlighted the urgent need to quickly evacuate stranded students. While the intricacies of the conflict are entangled in a military, diplomatic and territorial quagmire, ‘Operation Ganga’ needs new options. The alleged hostility, humiliation and harassment which many Indian students are facing at the borders of Ukraine need to be investigated. If true, they show the indifference of these NATO countries towards India. Having abstained from all the voting in the UN so far on the Ukraine issue gives India the leverage to insist that Russia and other friendly countries bordering Ukraine open up their borders to facilitate the quick exit of Indian citizens.
Dr. Biju C. Mathew,
Thiruvananthapuram
It is unfortunate that an Indian student has lost his life. The war is bound to turn worse but it is the volatility of the situation that is making things difficult and unpredictable as far as ‘Operation Ganga’ is concerned. Both Ukraine and Russia should ensure a workable humanitarian corridor for the safe passage of Indians. Given the circumstances, the Government deserves praise for some of the steps it has put in place.
Dr. D.V.G. Sankararao,
Nellimarla, Andhra Pradesh
The development must make the Government tweak its policy of neutrality over the war before it is too late. New Delhi should not face a situation where there is no reciprocity from Russia in terms of at least an assurance about the safe evacuation of Indian students. India’s ‘pro-Russian stance’ should not be in vain. It remains to be seen whether the step to send Indian Union Ministers to the war zone and surroundings can help ease the difficulties.
S. Sanjeevi Rao,
Puducherry
A question that arises is this: is the evacuation strategy of the Government right? There are many students sitting in bunkers, with essential supplies running out. In many instances, the shortage of personal hygiene products is a problem. The students have been sending out tweets and several pleas. One only hopes that they can be saved soon. If it is very tough for them to reach railway stations to board trains, and also face hostility, how will they ever be saved? The Government needs to make it clear to Russia that a safe passage may have to be thought of through Russia. It is time that Russia also thinks beyond its economic ties with India.
Vishal Mayur,
Tumkur, Karnataka
War and peace
It requires no rocket science to realise that Russia is now playing a dangerous game by invading, pounding and bombing Ukraine on a full scale while mercilessly killing civilians, destroying and burning down cities too. The glaring irony is that even while increasingly displaying all this shocking, blatant aggression with a devil may care attitude, the Russians are also inviting a badly battered Ukraine for talks which seems more of a sham. Just like we in India say to our rogue neighbour that terrorism and talks cannot go together, how can any one in their normal senses expect peaceful talks to go on? Clearly, Russia’s blatant invasion into and the ongoing war against Ukraine is in fact threatening not only countries in that region but also world peace as a whole.
A. Mohan,
Chennai
It appears that the popular western media is only colouring the misery of Ukraine’s refugees as seen through a smoky racial prism when it labels the sufferers as ‘white sufferers of Europe’ and so on. War anywhere on earth only brings misery. Countries such as Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Mali or Libya and many others in recent times have been exploited by the superpowers and have been left devastated. There seems no hope for a smooth revival of their economies. The NATO countries and the Russian bloc should behave responsibly to not precipitate war which is also the result of geopolitics in oil and arms sales. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the world is struggling with job loss and inadequacy. Humanity hopes that the superpowers do say ‘No to wars’.
Brij B. Goyal,
Ludhiana, Punjab
