Tirupati: Panicked parents want evacuation of students from Belarus, too

Tirupati: Amid the Ukraine imbroglio, students studying medicine in Belarus and their parents here are worrying a lot about their future. Expressing fears over their children who are under grave threat as the war seems to escalate and cross the borders, the parents want the governments to initiate similar evacuation measures on the lines of 'Operation Ganga', since Belarus is also getting involved in the war.

The Parents Association of Indian Students in Belarus has written to the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers of both Telugu States and Tamil Nadu, External Affairs Minister and others in this regard. Chittoor DM&HO Dr U Sreehari who is the chairman of the association and president Veera Kiran expressed the plight of their children in Belarus.

Speaking to The Hans India, Veera Kiran said that under the prevailing conditions, the threat has been looming large on the safety of our children and they must be immediately protected.

He stated that their association was continuously receiving phone calls from parents across the country who are worried about the safety of their children in Belarus. The association has taken to the notice of the Prime Minister their fears on the ongoing developments in Russia-Ukraine-Belarus. It was learnt that Russia has ordered a high alert of nuclear arsenal triggering shock waves in the world community which are supposed to be deployed from Belarusian soil.

They recalled that the President of Belarus had announced to host the Russian army permanently at their borders, which can lead to retaliation by the West and European nations. This may put the students there under threat. Since the US consulate has issued an advisory to their citizens to vacate from Belarus which reflects the gravity of the situation, the parents' association wants the Central government to make immediate arrangements for the evacuation of the students from there.

Veera Kiran said that they will be meeting Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin in this regard on Wednesday night itself while other members of the association will meet the public representatives in Tirupati to press their demand. There are about 1,000 Indian students in three Universities in Belarus out of which 200 Telugu students are there. Of them about 60 are from Tirupati.