Students returning from Ukraine bust government claims of help

Initially accused of not responding quick enough to the calls for help from students stranded in Ukraine, the BJP-led government sprang into action amid growing calls from the Opposition and the parents of the students back home. As is atypical of BJP, they branded the exercise as ‘Operation Ganga’ which aimed to bring back 18,000 students in 45 evacuation flights via Romania, Hungary, and Poland.

As of yesterday, 6,400 students have safely returned via these flights. While all of them are excited to be back in the safety of their homeland, not all share the same euphoria as that of the government in being a part of a successful ‘evacuation’ operation. The students are in fact angry at the government for abandoning them and gathering undeserved publicity on their account. They bust each of the government’s 5 claims with facts of their own.

Claim 1: India is ‘evacuating’ students from Ukraine

PM Modi and Foreign Minister Jaishankar claim they are personally monitoring the evacuation of students stranded in Ukraine

Student’s view: The students feel that the exercise cannot be called an ‘evacuation’ as all that the government has done is ‘fly them out’ from a safe country like Romania where the students reached by themselves. Not content with just a ‘free ticket’, the students wanted the government to help them while in Ukraine and provide a safe passage out of it.

Claim 2: Indian officials in Ukraine is aiding students

Press statements claim that embassy officials are on the ground to help students in every way. They also say that four senior ministers (Hardeep Puri, Kiren Rijiju, Jyotiraditya Scindia, V.K. Singh) are in Romania and Poland to coordinate the evacuation efforts.

Student's view: The students landing in India claim the Embassy officials told them to reach Romania and Hungary on their own and did not help in any way. Many students had to risk their lives by traveling dangerous routes on foot, on buses, and on trains to cross Ukraine. Some students were even physically harassed on the way by Russian soldiers. They feel that the embassy and ministers have only provided logistical help once they crossed over from Ukraine and not while they were in a life-threatening situation.

Claim 3: Embassy operating helplines to assist each student

The government claims that helplines are responding to students and providing individual relief.

Student's view: 800 students stranded in Sumy claim their SoS calls are not being answered and they are left to eat stale food and drink bacteria-infested water. The students are upset that the government did not take timely action. Unlike the US, which was the first to ask its citizens to leave, the Indian government should be reacted swiftly rather than wait until the situation became tense.

Claim 4: Evacuation is possible due to India’s rising global power

PM Modi said the ongoing evacuation was due to India’s “rising power” on the global stage

Student's view: Ukrainian borders with neighbouring countries such as Romania, Hungary, and Poland are open, and “all” countries and flying out their citizens. The students do not find any country chest-thumping as much as India in flying out their citizens based on their “global power”.

Claim 5: Ministers are personally welcoming students at the airport

A group of ministers present at the airport are making the students feel welcomed by giving flowers to each student upon arrival amid chants of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’

Student's view: The students claim giving roses on arrival means nothing when the government did not extend timely help in rescuing its citizens. They feel that the government is indulging in undeserved self-publicity. Divyanshu Singh, a student from Bihar, holding up the rose given to him said to a TV channel, "Now that we are here, we are being given this. What will we do with this? What would our families do if something happened to us there?"

The student’s anger mixed with fear is palpable. The government may have just stoked the student’s anger further by claiming to do what it has not and indulging in bombastic self-praise. The aroma of a ‘rose’ may not be sufficient in erasing the traumatic memories that some of the students will carry for a lifetime.