Dehradun: Thousands of Indian students are currently stranded in Ukraine after Russia's invasion of its immediate neighbor started on Thursday. With evacuation via flights being no longer an option, land routes are being assigned at the moment, via surrounding countries, to safely bring Indian students home.
In the midst of chaos, however, an emotional story has surfaced, which presents a previously unexplored side to this essentially human tragedy. Rishabh Kaushik, a resident of Dehradun in Uttarakhand, has been studying engineering in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv for the past three years.
With several other members of Kaushik's family staying in Ukraine for business purposes, the family's life took an unexpected turn with Russia's attack. Fearing an escalation in violence, on February 19 and 20, the entire family - consisting of about seven members - booked tickets and left for Dubai.
Rishabh essentially rendered alone with a sole companion in his dog, refused to leave it alone in the war-torn country. Speaking to ETV Bharat, Kaushik said he was not ready to depart without his canine companion.
"I have been trying to contact the Indian Embassy since 18th February. I've been trying to contact AQCS (Animal Quarantine and Certification Service) in Delhi and e-mailing them my passport, my dog's passport, all our documents - but they still keep on asking for more.
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Nothing is operational in Ukraine. Chemists, food stores, supply chains keep running out of water, food, etc. I tried contacting the Indian Embassy in Kyiv, but the only thing they said was to contact the Indian AQCS Centre. I called up a person in the IGI (Indira Gandhi International) Airport, but he was quite rude. Nobody's actually doing anything, a visibly exasperated Kaushik says.
"I would have been in India right now if the Indian government would have given me the NOC (No-Objection Certificate) as per their laws. I listed out all details to AQCS, including that I bought my dog last February here (in Ukraine), and that he is a rescue puppy. But they are somehow not ready to support me, as they keep on asking for more and more documents. My dog too is starting to get stressed out. All I say to the Indian government is if you can, please help us," he further says.
Being asked whether he would be comfortable leaving the dog behind, Kaushik says it is unlikely. "I have waited for four to five days, and I think a decision will be taken on this soon. If I leave, who will take care of him? People are upset over the lack of food and water, there is no one to feed him. If I leave him, there's very little chance I will never get to see him again", the stranded student notes.
With around 20,000 Indian students in Ukraine, the evacuation process for the large majority is yet to begin.
