THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Ignoring the intense fight going on in Kharkiv, hundreds of Indian students, including Malayalis, have taken the risk of leaving the city, in their effort to board the free trains operated by the Ukrainian government to the western parts of the country, from where crossing over to neighbouring countries is comparatively easy.
As TOI contacted some of the students, they were in a hurry to grab a train to Rakiv, a city in western Ukraine, very close to the Romanian border. “We did take the risk of travelling to Kharkiv railway station and even as we speak, we can hear the sounds of blasts all around. We have been here since 8.30am and after waiting for more than four hours, we managed to get onto a train. It is overcrowded and there is not an inch of space left even to take a proper breath,” said Arjun Suresh, a native of Idukki and a student of Karazin University, after boarding the train.
Hundreds of Indian students waited for long hours in the railway station without food and water amid the sound and flashes of bombings and rocket attacks. “We can hear the blasts, but no one seems to be bothered as we are losing hope if we stay back inside the bunkers. The train service has been made free of cost, but the authorities are giving priority to Ukraine nationals,” he added. The trip to Rakiv would approximately take 20 hours, and the students are clueless about how to proceed once they reach there.
As the battle intensified, the students left the bunkers on Tuesday morning and fled to Kharkiv railway station. “We took the risk of going to the hostel to collect our passports, travel documents, a pair of dresses and some cash before leaving for Kharkiv railway station. There are no clear-cut instructions from the Indian embassy, except that we should leave the city immediately,” said Lakshmi Kaladharan, a student. She said that some of the local taxi drivers took them to the railway station without charging any fare.
Another student, Faisal Kasim, said that only 200 students have travelled to the railway station while others are still inside the bunker under their hostel. “There are more than 250 first-year Indian students, who have no clue about what to do next. Our food supply will expire in two days,” he said.
