Parents express hope about children returning to India safely

Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha MP and BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel and Mangalore City South MLA D Vedavyas Kamath on Wednesday visited the families of students who are stuck in war-torn Ukraine.

After visiting the members of two separate families in New Road, Bejai, Mangaluru, the MP said that out of a total of 18 students from the district who are stuck in Ukraine, 12 are from Mangaluru and the rest from the rural areas of the district.

The Indian government is constantly tracking the condition of the students in Ukraine. Several students have reached the airport, some others are on the way to the airport and others are taking shelter in bunkers.

Stating that the Central government has formed four teams headed by Central ministers to follow up on the condition of Indian students in Ukraine and to extend the necessary support, the MP said the state government, headed by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has also formed a special team of nodal officers to be in touch with the families of the students.

He said the family members of the students have expressed confidence in their children returning home safely.

The state BJP has also formed a war room to reach out to the students in Ukraine, he added.

The MP also expressed his condolences towards the family of Naveen Gyanagoudar, the MBBS student from Haveri, who was killed during Russian shelling at Kharkiv in war-hit Ukraine.

Parents of students J Anusha Bhat and Sakshi Sudhakar, both from New Road, Bejai, said that they are in touch with the children.

Parents of J Anusha Bhat, a third-year MBBS student, said that when she last contacted them, she informed them that she has been waiting for the ticket to be confirmed for her flight to India, from Romania.

Sudhakar and Spoorthi, parents of Sakshi Sudhakar, a fourth-year MBBS student, said that their daughter has started her journey towards Romania.

After passing the Ukraine border, they are unlikely to be in touch with their daughter as the roaming data facility will not be available, they said.