As India enters the last leg of its “Operation Ganga,” Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi credited the success of evacuation operations to the growing influence of India across the globe. He celebrated the efforts of Indian authorities in bringing back home thousands of students, which he said many “big countries of the world” are struggling to do.
India has deployed four ministers—Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister of Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju, and Minister of State in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways VK Singh—to Hungary, Romania and Moldova, Slovakia, and Poland, all of which share a border with Ukraine. Modi hailed the four ministers, who were tasked with “energising the evacuation efforts,” for their instrumental roles in the evacuation operations.
India conducted several evacuation operations over the weekend. On Friday, 17 commercial and Indian Air Force flights brought back around 10,800 Indians from Budapest, Rzeszow, Suceava, Bucharest, and Budapest. Similarly, repatriation flights on Saturday and Sunday evacuated 8,000 and 2,100 Indian nationals, bringing the total tally to 15,900. Later, the Indian embassy in Budapest said that India was now in the “last leg of Operation Ganga” in Hungary, and urged all the students to reach the city centre in Budapest.
Important Announcement: Embassy of India begins its last leg of Operation Ganga flights today. All those students staying in their OWN accommodation ( other than arranged by Embassy) are requested to reach @Hungariacitycentre , Rakoczi Ut 90, Budapest “10 am-12 pm” plz note ! pic.twitter.com/Y2KDEqeENv
— Indian Embassy in Hungary (@IndiaInHungary) March 6, 2022
Indian authorities said that their primary focus will now be on bringing back the 700 Indians stranded in Sumy, where several instances of bombings and airstrikes have been reported. “We are exploring multiple options for their evacuations,” Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said. However, he said that evacuation efforts were being hampered by the “ongoing shelling and violence, and lack of transportation.”
On Saturday, students stuck at the Sumy State University recorded a video message in which they expressed their intention to walk to the Russian border due to dwindling supplies of essential items such as food and water. However, Indian authorities dissuaded them from stepping out of their bunkers, saying that doing so would risk their safety. The Indian embassy in Ukraine said that a team had been deployed to Poltava City to facilitate their evacuation to Russia and asked them to wait for additional information.
In the video, a student of Sumy State University says, “We are afraid, we have awaited a lot and we cannot wait anymore. We are risking our life; we are moving towards the border. If anything happens to us, all the responsibility will be for government and Indian Embassy.” pic.twitter.com/q1NnK2BCdk
— The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) March 5, 2022
Team from Embassy of India is stationed in Poltava City to coordinate the safe passage of Indian students stranded in Sumy to Western borders via Poltava.
— India in Ukraine (@IndiainUkraine) March 6, 2022
Confirmed time & date will be issued soon. 🇮🇳n students advised to be ready to leave on short notice.@MEAIndia @opganga
Meanwhile, earlier this morning, PM Modi spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who updated him about the “conflict situation and the ongoing negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.” Modi reiterated his call for the “immediate cessation of violence,” noting that India has always stood for “peaceful resolution of issues.” Furthermore, he expressed his gratitude towards Ukrainian authorities for assisting India in safely evacuating 20,000 Indians and showing “deep concern” for the safety and security of Indian students who are still in Ukraine.
Additionally, Modi is also scheduled to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin, wherein he is likely to reiterate his call for a ceasefire to allow the safe passage of civilians from conflict-ridden regions in Eastern Ukraine. In a previous conversation with Putin, Modi raised concern about the safety of Indian citizens in Ukraine, particularly students, and repeated that India continues to prioritise their safe return to India. Putin assured Modi of his support for conducting evacuations to ensure the safety of Indian citizens in Ukraine.
#OperationGanga
— Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (@MIB_India) March 6, 2022
Visuals of @NDRFHQ personnel loading relief material, being sent as part of India's efforts in providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine
The @IAF_MCC flight carrying the supplies is leaving for Poland@MEAIndia @opganga @JM_Scindia @HardeepSPuri @KirenRijiju pic.twitter.com/5xqtlHkIIi