For Priyanka Mallesh of Mysuru, a second year MBBS student of Bukovinian State Medical University in Western Ukraine, the trip back home could not have been more timely.
She reached Mysuru at 3 a.m. on Wednesday and within 24 hours, the main airport at Kiev from where international flights fly out of Ukraine, was shut down and airspace closed for civil aviation following the Russian invasion on Thursday.
‘’When we left Ukraine the situation did not seem as alarming but the television news reports this morning came as a shock,” said Ms. Priyanka, who is one of the thousands of Indians who study in BSMU in Chernivtsi.
‘’Many of my friends had their flight back home this morning but they were asked to return to Chernivtsi following the escalation of crisis,” she said. ‘’BSMU is a popular destination for Indians keen to study medicine and there are 30 students from Karnataka in my batch alone,” Priyanka added.
Having studied in Vijaya Vittala Vidyashala in Mysuru, Ms. Priyanka opted to pursue her MBBS in Ukraine because she was not sure of getting a Government seat through CET. ‘’I wanted to drop an year and appear afresh to improve my scores but learnt of BSMU and opted for it instead,” said Ms. Priyanka.
The Indian students were generally perturbed about the developments but the staff in Ukraine allayed their fears stating that such issues were common between Russia and Ukraine — something akin to India-Pakistan border situation — as they summarised. ‘’So we took comfort in it and thought it was media hype.-”
But once Ukraine was surrounded there was tension, which mounted when many countries began issuing advisory to their citizens to leave. The Indian Embassy issued a communique stating those who wish to leave, could do so and hence Ms. Priyanka booked her ticket paying ₹55,000 for the trip against the normal price of nearly ₹25,000.
Though the institute where she and thousands like her are enrolled, has shifted to online regime of teaching, the students are keeping their fingers crossed hoping for restoration of normalcy at the earliest.
Mangaluru students
Meanwhile, two medical students from Mangaluru are stuck in Kar and Kyiv cities of Ukraine.
According to Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner K.V. Rajendra, one of them is a final year MBBS student and she is in Kar. Another student is in first year MBBS and he is in Kyiv.
Dr. Rajendra said the two were to return to the city on February 26. But they could not leave Ukraine because of issues with documentation. The air traffic has now been suspended following the war.
Parents of the two students have approached the district administration for help. Details about students have been forwarded to the External Ministry. Dr. Rajendra said the students have been housed at a safe location.
Meanwhile, Mangaluru Police Commissioner N. Shashi Kumar and Udupi Deputy Commissioner M. Kurma Rao called upon people to inform about persons stranded in Ukraine. Information can be passed on to the police control room or the office of the Deputy Commissioner. Mr. Kumar said Ukraine nationals, who are in need of help, too can get in touch with the city police.
Shivamogga students too
At Shivamogga, the parents of students studying in Ukraine, on Thursday met Home Minister Araga Jnanendra and appealed to him to help their children return home safe.
Tejas of Santhe Kadur near Shivamogga and Ganashree of Malligenahalli are in Ukraine. Both are studying medicine. Tejas’s parents Jagadish and Devaki and Ganashree’s parents Gavisiddappa and Karibasamma appealed to the Minister for the safe return of their children. They said they were in touch with their children over the phone.
The Minister said as of now, three students from Shivamogga were said to be studying in Ukraine. “We are in touch with officers concerned. Once the flight services resumed, they would be brought back home,” he said.
