The government today urgently appealed to Indian nationals in Ukraine's Kharkiv to fill up a form to expedite evacuation. Kharkiv is practically under Russian control now, sources have said, adding that Russians are helping with the evacuation of Indian nationals in the city.
India had issued a series of advisories yesterday asking Indians in Kharkiv to "immediately" leave the city by 6 pm local time and reach three nearby towns -- Pisochyn, Babai or Bezlyudivka. Those unable to get transport should walk, the embassy had said in the all-cap advisories.
The tweet this evening from the embassy handle read, "All Indian Nationals who are in KHARKIV excluding PISOCHYN, please fill up details contained in the form on an urgent basis".
All Indian Nationals who are in KHARKIV excluding PISOCHYN, please fill up details contained in the form on an urgent basis: https://t.co/hm5ayU5UgC
— India in Ukraine (@IndiainUkraine) March 3, 2022
The details required included name, address, passport number and names and number of additional people to be evacuated.
This evening, the government said 3,000 Indians were evacuated in 15 flights over the last 24 hours from Ukraine. The foreign ministry said more flights have been scheduled to get students home under the "Operation Ganga" programme.
Yesterday's advisory had upset the students who had been waiting at the Kharkiv station for hours, unable to board a train. In multiple video messages, the students said many of them had managed to reach the station taking great risks and then those who managed to board the train were pushed out.
Later in the evening, sources said the girl students were sent on a train to the western border of Ukraine with Russian help and efforts were on to evacuate the boys.
