DNA Special: How India is standing by its citizens amid Russia-Ukraine war

Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, what foreigners stuck there can think about right now is their home and country. When a person gets stuck somewhere in a foreign country, they remember only two things - one is their country, that is, their motherland and the other is God. 

When I was in the city of Warsaw in Poland, I went to a temple there where people from many countries other than India have taken refuge. 

During our interaction with these students, we came to know many things that were shocking. These students were discriminated against by the people of Ukraine while traveling in trains and buses. We also found three such students from Nepal here, who allege that their embassy did not even contact them to get them out of Ukraine. 

Reading this, you can guess the power of India as a nation from the fact that Russia has arranged 130 buses to evacuate Indian students and other foreign nationals from areas like Kharkiv and Sumy in Ukraine. The head of Russia's National Defense Control Center has told that all these buses will take Indian students to the Belgrade area of Russia from where these students will return to their country under the Operation Ganga of the Government of India.

Today, the Defense Ministry of India has also given Dos' and Dont's for the Indian students trapped on the battlefield. A piece of complete detailed information has been given about what Indian students trapped on the battlefield should and should not do.

In this, Indian students have been asked to learn to speak two or three things in the Russian language. For example: "We are Indian students", "We are not involved in the war", and "help us".

If Indian students say these things to Russian soldiers in the Russian language, then no harm will be done to them.

It also tells the students what not to do.

1. Don't get out of the bunker. 
2. Stay away from crowded areas. 
3. Do not join protests and rebel groups. 
4. Refrain from taking sides on social media. 
5. Absolutely do not touch any weapons or explosives lying on the road. 
6. Where there is military deployment, it is advised to not take photographs and make war videos.
7. Stay in the bunker when the siren is sounded.

Here is what you should do

1. Stay in small groups instead of staying in big groups. 
2. Create a WhatsApp group, share your name, address, and other information on it. 
3. You should inform others about your location every eight hours.
4. Keep speaking on the helpline numbers issued by the Government of India. 
5. If you are stuck in a curfew area, take shelter anywhere other than a bunker.

Be it any country in the world, no matter how big the crisis and whatever the conditions of war, India has always stood by its citizens. And so far, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Government of India has run 9 such operations, in which more than 60 lakh Indian citizens have been evacuated from different countries between 2014 and 2022. 

Whereas, during the crisis, the US and other Western countries never made serious efforts to save their citizens. That is why it is important to understand the power of India.

In August 2014, when the civil war was going on in Libya, the Indian government evacuated 1200 of its citizens. Similarly, in the year 2015, when there was an earthquake in Nepal, 5,000 Indians trapped there were brought safely to India under Operation Maitri by the Air Force.

Again in the year 2015 itself, when the fighting was going on in Yemen, then the Government of India had evacuated 4,640 Indian citizens under 'Operation Rahat'. Apart from this, the lives of 960 citizens of 41 countries were also saved by India.

In the year 2016, there was a situation of civil war in the African country of Sudan, when the Indian government brought back 153 of its citizens in a dangerous situation. Whereas, the big superpowers refused to send help to their citizens at that time.

And during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government of India had evacuated 60 lakh, Indian citizens, under the Vande Bharat Mission. This was the biggest evacuation operation in the history of India. And in this, the Indian government was also successful in bringing the Indian students trapped in Wuhan, China to the country safely.

And now in the midst of the war in Ukraine, thousands of students are being brought to India under Operation Ganga.

Apart from this, four senior ministers of India are currently living in neighboring countries of Ukraine and are also continually working on Operation Ganga.