48 hours and counting: Indian college students at Poland border battle freezing chilly with no assist from any nook

Hundreds of Indian college students in Ukraine have been stranded on the Poland border for greater than 48 hours amid freezing chilly with “no response from the Indian embassy” to their calls and messages.

The college students, who’ve been thronging to the Shehyni-Medyka border by foot since Friday hoping that they might be evacuated from Ukraine amidst the continuing Russian invasion, describe the current state of affairs on the border as “horrendous and insane” and mentioned that Indians weren’t being allowed to cross over to Poland by the authorities whereas Ukrainians had been allowed.

The Embassy of India in Warsaw (Poland) had earlier issued an advisory asking college students who need to be evacuated to succeed in the Shehyni-Medyka border by foot or bus/taxi.

Spending freezing nights out within the open — in parks and on roads with temperature touching minus 5 levels celsius within the evening — the scholars are actually burning trash to gentle bonfires and survive within the biting chilly whilst some have developed hypothermia.

An MBBS scholar from Ternopil who reached the border Saturday night after strolling for over 50 km informed The Indian Express over cellphone: “There are just queues and queues of Indian students here but Polish authorities are not putting a stamp on our passports. They are allowing Ukrainians to cross over but not us. The situation here is horrendous, to say the least. The Indian embassy officials are not responding to our calls. No one is helping us… no one. Where should we go?”

Indians ready to cross Poland border.

She added that she reached the border after travelling in a bus from Ternopil for just a few kilometres after which strolling for over 50 km. “We are feeling like animals right now, lying amid filth on roads and burning trash to light a bonfire to save ourselves from biting cold.”

Another scholar mentioned: “Most students slept in the open for the whole night, on parks and roads. Some were given shelter by local Ukrainians but most had no option but to sleep in the open in this freezing cold. Why were we asked to come here by the embassy when there were no arrangements yet to evacuate students via Poland. It is not easy to walk 30-50 km and then sleep in the open.”

Some college students who reached the Polish border Saturday have now returned to their flats or rooms in Lviv and Ternopil after witnessing chaos on the border. “We are now hiding in bunkers and basements whenever we hear bombing or siren sounds,” mentioned a scholar who returned from the Poland border after ready for over 30 hours there.

“Poland is not allowing any Indian students via Shehyni Medyka border and only allowing Ukraine citizens to Cross the border. The condition is very serious. There was firing of the military because of the total chaos,” tweeted an individual whose sister is stranded on the border.

Some college students additionally alleged that Ukrainian officers and navy have now modified their perspective in direction of Indians as they imagine that India lends its help to Russia within the battle. “Locals are helpful but not Ukrainian military and officials. They are turning down Indians whereas people of other countries are being helped,” a scholar alleged.

Most college students stranded on the Poland border have additionally run out of their cellphone batteries making it tough for households to succeed in them.