KL Desk
SRINAGAR
The academic future of at least 25 students of Jammu and Kashmir among hundreds of students from mainland India studying in violence hit Ukraine is uncertain as, reports said that the Indian embassy in Kiev on last Wednesday advised students against returning to their educational institutions in Donetsk and Lugansk regions, for the new academic year commencing in September.
It advised students to postpone their travel plans and await the embassy’s advice. “We are in touch with Ukrainian authorities and would update the status soon,” the Indian embassy in Ukraine said.
Pertinently, when violence escalated in Ukraine, India had issued an advisory asking its nationals to leave Donetsk and Lugansk regions in eastern Ukraine which witnessed violent clashes between pro-Russian separatists and government forces.
“Over one thousand Indian students are studying in Ukraine which included 25 from the state of Jammu and Kashmir,” reports had said.
Media reports had said that Indian authorities arranged 500 train tickets to evacuate the Indian nationals after proper arrangements were made in cooperation with the Ukrainian government.
Media reports quoted deputy chief of mission in the Indian embassy in Ukraine saying, “We advise students planning to return in the first half of August 2014 to postpone their travel plans.”
About 25 students amongst 1,100 Indian students, including 800 from south India, returned from eastern Ukraine in the first week of June following an advisory. Around 350 students from Kerala, 300 from Tamil Nadu and 150 from Andhra Pradesh returned.
