"Urgently share a detailed evacuation plan with stranded & their families", says Rahul Gandhi

|HT|

With thousands of Indians stuck in Ukraine in the midst of the worst crisis in Europe in decades, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi yet again raised the issue on Twitter asking the government to "urgently share a detailed evacuation plan with those stranded and their families". "My heart goes out to the Indian students suffering such violence and their family watching these videos. No parent should go through this. GOI must urgently share the detailed evacuation plan with those stranded as well as their families. We can’t abandon our own people (sic)," Gandhi wrote. He shared a video that apparently captures the commotion at the Ukraine border as the guards are seen pushing some people forcibly. "Look, how are they thrashing the girls," a man is heard saying. Tens of thousands of people have fled Ukraine since Thursday when Russia began a full-scale invasion. More than 350 civilians have died, Kyiv has said. According to reports, the video - that Gandhi shared - shows some Indian students being harassed when they were trying to cross over to Poland. Poland has said that Indian students won't need a visa to enter the country.

As Ukraine airspace remains closed, the central government last week chalked out alternative evacuation plans with the help of Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia Republic. The government, in a statement told the students to not reach border points without coordinating with officials concerned.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a key meet on Ukraine crisis. Sources said foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla gave a presentation to the prime minister on the current situation in Ukraine with a special focus on the evacuation operations. Around 2,000 Indians have been brought back amid the evacuation efforts, the government said on Sunday. The centre is "working day and night to ensure the return of every Indian from Ukriane," PM Modi assured during a speech in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi.

The Congress has been attacking the government over the evacuation issue. While Rahul Gandhi has been tweeting regularly, sharing photos and videos, another party leader Randeep Surjerwala on Sunday said that PM Modi was visiting Uttar Pradesh with an eye on poll campaign despite a huge crisis.

(Except for the headline and the pictorial description, this story has not been edited by THE DEN staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)