Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Sunday requested Union Home Minister Amit Shah to instruct the concerned officials of the Government of India to take steps for the safe return of persons from Jharkhand stranded in Ukraine and to accommodate them in a safe place with an adequate supply of essentials till their return.
He has sent the list of people from the state who are stuck in Ukraine and requested him to instruct concerned officials to take steps for their safe return.
"While all of us were aware of the tensions brewing between Russia and Ukraine for quite some time but presuming it as just posturing by Russia tamed out to be a monumental blunder. Eventually on Thursday Russia invaded the internationally accepted sovereign boundaries of Ukraine. Now it's a full-blown war and various cities of Ukraine including its capital city Kyiv are being attacked with bombs. Several hundred lives have been lost. As per reports Ukraine forces are currently engaged with Russian forces just outside the city of kyiv. Sounds of gunfire, bomb explosions and human cries are all over the place. Horrifying pictures of damaged apartment blocks have emerged on TV Channels," the letter reads.
The Chief Minister said that estimated 20,000 Indians including 18,000 students are believed to be stranded in Ukraine. "My office is constantly being approached by the relatives of those persons from Jharkhand who are stuck in Ukraine during these war times," he added.
He further that the Indian people stuck in Ukraine are in a state of panic and horror and compelled to move with a limited stock of essential provisions to makeshift places like underground metro rail lines.
"Even the departmental stores are insisting on cash payments against essential procurements. Extreme inclement weather is adding to their pain," he said.
"I feel we must reach out to them in this hour of crisis and make best possible efforts to evacuate them back home. I am enclosing herewith a hurriedly prepared list of persons from Jharkhand stuck in Ukraine along with their addresses and contact numbers and request you to kindly instruct me, concerned officials of the Government of India, to take steps for their safe return to our state. Till such times they could be accommodated in safe places with an adequate supply of essential items," he added.
A special evacuation flight of Air India carrying 250 Indians landed at the Delhi airport in the early hours of Sunday.
( With inputs from ANI )
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