Indian students in Ukraine's Kharkiv are being stopped from boarding trains to leave the city, as per claims on social media. This comes even as the Indian government has released two urgent advisories on March 2, asking all Indian nationals in Kharkiv to leave the city "immediately".
In unverified videos going viral on social media, dozens of Indian students can be seen gathered at the Kharkiv railway station, and a train waiting at the platform. However, some people standing at the doors of the train are apparently barring the Indian students from boarding even as Ukrainians are allowed to enter. An NDTV report quoted one of the students at the station saying that there were around 1,000 Indians stranded at the platforms. The students were reportedly hearing gunfire and shelling.
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Meanwhile, the Indian government issued an advisory saying, "For their own safety and security, all Indian nationals must leave Kharkiv immediately. Repeat, immediately. They should proceed to Pesochny, Babai, and Bezlyudivka as soon as possible. Those students who cannot find vehicles or buses and are in the railway station, can proceed on foot to Pesochny (11km), Babai (12km), and Bezlyudivka (16km). Under all circumstances, Indians must reach these settlements by 6 pm."
Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, is seeing fierce fighting as Russian forces try to take over. On March 1, an Indian student named Naveen SG died in shelling in Kharkiv while waiting in a queue to get food.