Four Tripura Students Still Stuck In War-Hit Ukraine

Agartala, Mar 2: Four Tripura students are still stuck in war-torn Ukraine while 24 others have crossed the country’s border into other countries or were on their way home, state information minister Sushanta Chowdhury said on Wednesday.

The Tripura government has so far identified as many as 33 students who got trapped in Ukraine when Russia invited the East European nation. Five of them have returned to the country in the last two days.

Quoting an updated report, Chowdhury said only four students from the state were still in Ukraine but all of them were in safe shelters. The external affairs ministry through embassies of Ukraine and other neighbouring countries working together under Operation Ganga evacuated all Indian citizens including four from Tripura. The state BJP has constituted a three-member committee headed by its Vice President Rajib Bhattacharjee to coordinate with the families and the government to facilitate the safe return of the students.

Meanwhile, Chief Secretary Kumar Alok informed, “District Magistrates and Sub-Divisional Magistrates of concerned areas have physically contacted family members of all 33 students who are studying in Ukraine. There are no reasons to worry as the government of India is making arrangements to bring them back as soon as possible”. According to the report, there were eight students from South Tripura who were in Ukraine when the war started, but all of them have safely crossed the borders. While one of them had reached Tripura, the others are now sheltered in neighbouring countries.

The students from Gomati and Khowai districts have also reached home while one from North Tripura is on his way home at Assam’s Silchar. Two students from Dhalai district and another from Khowai were evacuated and sheltered in Romania. Out of three students from Sepahijala district, one has reached Slovakia, one is now in Italy and another one is still in Ukraine but safe. Out of four students from North District one has returned home, another is in Romania and the remaining two have taken shelter in a metro station in Kyiv, the report added.