Govt to bear medical expenses of Indian student shot at in Ukraine: MEA

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said that the government will bear the expenses for Indian student Harjot Singh's medical treatment. Singh is the student who was shot at in Ukraine's capital Kyiv amid the war with Russia and is now undergoing treatment in a hospital.

"Govt of India will be bearing expenses for Harjot Singh's medical treatment (in Kyiv, Ukraine.) We are trying to ascertain his medical status... Our embassy is trying to get an update on his health status...trying to reach out but facing trouble as it's a conflict zone," said MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi at a press conference.

Earlier today, Singh had complained that he had received 'no proper response' from the Indian embassy in Kyiv. "Please evacuate me from here. I thought I would die but I did not want to die so soon. I want to spend my life with my family. I am alive today because of my mother's prayers," Harjot had told India Today. 

Harjot Singh was travelling along with two other students in a taxi to Lviv, one of the safer cities, when the firing started. He fainted and woke up to find himself in a hospital where the doctors told him that he sustained multiple bullet injuries. He is undergoing treatment at Kyiv Clinical Hospital which is 20 minutes away from the Indian embassy there. Harjot is from Delhi's Chhattarpur area and had gone to Ukraine for further studies.

Meanwhile, Bagchi has also stated that so far, the government has evacuated one Bangladeshi national. He added that the government has also received a request from a Nepalese national for evacuation

Bagchi further added that the government is not aware any Indian being held hostage. "They are facing difficulty due to security reasons particulary in Kharkiv, Ukraine, but no hostage situation," said Bagchi. Bagchi also reiterated that the government will continue Operation Ganga till the last person is evacuated. "Over 20,000 Indians have left the Ukraine border since we issued our advisories. There are more people, but it's reassuring to see that this many people have left Ukraine," said Bagchi. 

Moroever, the Indian government on Friday stated that under its 'Operation Ganga' evacuation plan, about 10,800 Indians have been brought back by special flights from Ukraine's neighbouring countries. Tomorrow, 11 special civilian flights are expected to bring back more than 2200 Indians, with 10 landing in New Delhi and one in Mumbai. 

Also read: Ukraine war: Govt says 11 civilian, 4 IAF flights to bring back Indians tomorrow

Also read: Ukraine crisis: Putin says Russia's neighbours should not escalate tensions