'Despite repeated urgings, no safe corridor for students stranded in Sumy'

India which has managed to safely bring back over 20000 of its nationals from Ukraine amid the ongoing war said it is deeply concerned that despite its repeated urgings to both Russia and Ukraine the safe corridor for Indian students stranded in Sumy did not materializeIndia has been consistent in calling for an immediate end to all hostilities Indias Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti told the UN Security Council meeting Monday on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine He said India has reiterated its urgent demand for safe and uninterrupted passage for all innocent civilians including Indian nationals remaining in UkraineWe are deeply concerned that despite our repeated urgings to both sides the safe corridor for our students stranded in Sumy did not materialize Tirumurti said Tirumurti said India has managed to facilitate the safe return of over 20000 Indians from UkraineWe have also assisted nationals from other countries who approached us in their return to their respective countries And we will remain open to doing so in the coming days The Indian envoy told the Council that more than 80 evacuation flights have been crisscrossing the skies to bring the Indian nationals home We are appreciative of the assistance rendered by the authorities of Ukraine and its neighbouring countries in facilitating their return Around 700 Indian students are stranded in Sumy which has been witnessing intense fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops for days now India has been making efforts to evacuate its citizens from the city but with little success due to heavy shelling and air strikesTo evacuate its citizens from warhit Ukraine the Indian government has launched Operation Ganga under which thousands of stranded people mostly students have been evacuated from nations bordering Ukraines western frontiers However the evacuation from the eastern part remains a challenge Tirumurti underscored it is important that humanitarian action is always guided by the principles of humanitarian assistance humanity neutrality impartiality and independence These should not be politicised he said Russias Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia had told the UN Security Council last week that Ukraine nationals are keeping over 3700 Indian citizens by force in Kharkiv and Sumy and buses from Russia are ready and waiting at crossing points to go to these Ukrainian cities to evacuate Indian students and other foreign nationalsTerrorists do not let civilians leave cities This impacts not only Ukrainians but foreigners as well The number of foreign citizens whom Ukrainian nationals are keeping by force is shocking Kharkov 3189 nationals of India up to 2700 nationals of Vietnam 202 nationals of China Sumy 576 nationals of India 101 nationals of Ghana 121 national of China Nebenzia had said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres tweeted on Sunday that it is absolutely essential to establish a pause in the fighting in Ukraine to allow for the safe passage of civilians from Mariupol Kharkiv and Sumy as well as all other places caught in conflict and to ensure lifesaving humanitarian supplies can move in for those who remain In his phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin Monday Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed his deep concern for the safety and security of the Indian students still remaining in SumyPresident Putin briefed Prime Minister about the ongoing measures related to humanitarian corridors for facilitating evacuation of civilians including Indian students an official release issued in New Delhi said Modi also suggested that a direct conversation between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky may greatly assist the ongoing peace efforts In his conversation with Zelensky Modi expressed deep concern about the ongoing conflict and resultant humanitarian crisis Modi thanked Ukrainian authorities for their facilitation in evacuating more than 20000 Indian citizens from Ukraine Modi emphasized the need for quick and safe evacuation of students stranded in Ukraine Tirumurti told the Council that in his conversations with the leadership of both sides Modi reiterated our call for immediate ceasefire and the need for both parties to return to the path of dialogue and diplomacyTirumurti said numerous lives have been lost so far due to the RussianUkrainian conflict including a young Indian student India mourns his death and we convey our deepest condolences to his family just as we mourn the loss of each and every civilian life in the conflict In the first Indian casualty in the war in Ukraine 21 year old fourthyear medical student at the Kharkiv National Medical University Naveen Shekarappa Gyanagoudar from Karnataka was killed in shelling in Kharkiv city Tirumurti said the worsening situation in Ukraine and ensuing humanitarian crisis deserves our immediate and urgent attention As per the UNs own estimate 15 million refugees have sought shelter in neighbouring countries of Ukraine over the last 11 days he said This has led to a pressing humanitarian crisis that needs to be addressed expeditiously he addedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever