From jaws of demise: Medical college students recount horrific time in Ukraine on return

By PTI

NEW DELHI: “This is like a new life,” stated medical pupil Dhruv Pandita as he recounted the horror he went by within the war-torn Ukrainian metropolis of Sumy earlier than he and his fellow college students have been evacuated and introduced again to India on Friday.

“Even now that I’m back in India, the situation that I have gone through will continue to haunt me for days. Life in Sumy was terrible during the war. I never thought that I’ll make it to India alive,” Pandita stated as he hugged his mom quickly after alighting from a aid flight from Poland carrying stranded Indian college students.

Pandita, who hails from Kashmir, reached Indira Gandhi International Airport in an Indigo flight from Poland’s Rzeszow round 12.40 pm.

Narrating his story, Pandita claimed that he was held hostage together with another college students in Sumy.

“We were confined in a bunker and had no water and food. We had to melt ice to get drinking water. We were not being allowed to move from there,” Pandita instructed PTI.

The fourth-year pupil in Sumy State University added that it was as a result of efforts of the Indian authorities that he was in a position to transfer out of the northeastern Ukrainian metropolis.

“There were blasts everywhere and shelling in Sumy. It was the most challenging time for us. The Indian government made it possible for us to return home alive. It is like a new life for me,” Pandita stated.

His father Sanjay Pandita reached the airport alongside together with his complete household to obtain his son.

They carried garlands, sweets and bouquets to welcome him.

“We have thought that we have lost him as he was held hostage. Though we were in touch with him, it looked that he is slipping from our hands. It’s his rebirth as we see him alive in India,” Sanjay Pandita stated as he was inconsolable hugging his son Dhruv.

An identical story of woe was narrated by college students who reached Hindon Air Base by an Indian Air Force flight at 12.30 pm.

Viradha Lakshmi, a local from Trichur in Kerala reached the air base alongside along with her three-year-old white cat.

“I never wanted to leave my cat in Ukraine to die in bomb shelling. Our journey to Poland was halted due to security reasons and hence we reached Poland from Sumy in two days. We were not anticipating that we will survive,” Lakshmi instructed PTI.

The IAF flight reached Hindon from Rzeszow carrying 213 evacuees.

Another pupil Mehtab, a local of Bihar who reached Hindon, stated that they survived 13 days within the battle and plenty of days have been spent with out electrical energy, meals and water.

“All the students were depressed and terrified. We all were thinking about how we will escape and go back to India,” Mehtab stated.

Hanna, a local of Kerala, was the final pupil to alight from the C-17 plane at Hindon.

She thanked the authorities for rescuing college students from Ukraine.

“We have been through a lot during past few days and I thank everybody who took the initiative to bring us back home. We have seen a lot including explosions in this short period of life,” Hanna stated.

The Indian authorities carried out the evacuation train below Operation Ganga to assist stranded Indians go away Ukraine.

The operation to evacuate the final huge group of round 600 college students from Sumy started on Tuesday morning.

India has despatched three flights to Poland to convey again the remaining college students evacuated from Sumy.