Delhi resident Harjot Singh, who was shot at in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv on February 27, was among 1,514 people airlifted by eight evacuation flights from Ukraine’s neighbouring countries on Monday.
Two evacuation flights from Suceava, Romania will take off on Tuesday to bring more than 400 Indians back home. So far, more than 17,600 people have come to India by 83 flights since the Russian military offensive. Barring Kharkiv and Sumy, almost all Indians from the remaining regions of Ukraine have been evacuated.
An IAF flight carrying Minister of State for Civil Aviation VK Singh, Harjot Singh, and around 205 Indians, mainly students landed at 6.15 pm at the Hindon airbase on Monday. The flight had left from Rzeszów in Poland at 10.30 am. Singh was in Poland to facilitate the evacuation of students.
“I am happy to inform you that we have landed at Hindon Airforce station. All 205 Indian students are back safe and sound. Harjot is under transfer to the Army Hospital (R&R). I thank the crew for taking care of us,” he said in a tweet.
Talking to reporters at the airport here, the Minister said, “The Indian Embassy in Ukraine evacuated Harjot and his condition is stable.” He added that Harjot will be sent to the Army Hospital (research and referral) as no one is better than Army in treating bullet wounds.
Harjot, 31, along with his two friends, boarded a cab for the western Ukrainian city of Lviv in a bid to escape Kyiv. He was shot four times.
Another student who arrived from Poland at Hindan Air Base in Ghaziabad, said, “We took shelter in a bunker. Ukrainian Army also helped a little bit. When the situation improved we reached Poland through Lviv. We got afraid as the bombing was happening there.”
In a statement, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said on Monday, five civilian flights landed in Delhi while two reached Mumbai. “Tomorrow (Tuesday), two special civilian flights are expected to operate from Suceava, Romania, to bring more than 400 Indians back home. Eight flights with more than 1,500 Indians will operate from Ukraine’s neighbouring countries to India on Monday,” it said.
Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri returned from Hungary on Monday along with the last batch of 6,711 stranded Indians from Budapest. Taking to Twitter, the Union Minister expressed happiness, saying youngsters of the country can now reach their respective home places and be united with their parents and families.