NEW DELHI, March 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — An Indian student was killed amid shelling in Kharkiv, the second biggest city of the war-torn Ukraine, Tuesday morning, Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed.
“With profound sorrow we confirm that an Indian student lost his life in shelling in Kharkiv this morning,” MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted this afternoon.
He said the ministry conveyed deepest condolences to the family and is in touch with his family members.
However, media reports said the 21-year medical student– Naveen Shekharappa Gyanagoudar– from Indian state of Karnataka was standing in the queue for food in Ukraine’s Kharkiv when he was killed in Russian shelling.
Earlier, in separate tweet message, the MEA spokesperson said that the Indian foreign secretary is calling in the ambassadors of Russia and Ukraine to reiterate India’s demand for urgent safe passage for Indian nationals, who are still in Kharkiv and cities in other conflict zones.
“Similar action is also being undertaken by our Ambassadors in Russia and Ukraine,” he added.
India has already asked its nationals to leave Ukraine capital Kyiv “urgently today, by trains or any other means available”.
“All Indian nationals including students are advised to leave Kyiv urgently today. Preferably by available trains or through any other means available,” the Indian embassy in Ukraine said in a brief advisory posted on Twitter.
Meanwhile, India has ramped up its ongoing efforts to evacuate hundreds of stranded Indian students and nationals from Ukraine.
The Indian government is sending four senior ministers to neighboring countries-Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Poland–and increasing evacuation flights to help both Indian nationals and those from other developing countries, officials said.
They said at least three evacuation flights are set to bring back stranded Indians by Tuesday afternoon under Indian’s evacuation mission called “Operation Ganga”. “We will not rest till our fellow Indians are safe,” Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar tweeted.
Officials on Monday said that of the estimated 20,000 Indian nationals, who were struck in Ukraine over 8,000 have left the country since the issue of initial advisory. — NNN-AGENCIES
