At least 125 students from Odisha consider themselves lucky to have been evacuated from Jammu, minutes before Pakistan began its multiple attacks using drones and missiles on Thursday evening, May 8.
The 85 girls and 40 boys, all students of Central Sanskrit University at Bhalwal in Jammu pursuing Bachelors of Education (BEd), reached New Delhi from Jammu early on Friday, May 9. Many of them are already on their way back home. The Odisha government is facilitating their temporary accommodation in New Delhi and train tickets to their districts.
Amid escalating tension between India and Pakistan, the students were asked by the university authorities and local police to vacate the hostels and other mess facilities on May 7 on security grounds.
"A day before Operation Sindoor was launched, we had seen several military vehicles and defence personnel being mobilised towards sensitive areas including Akhnoor. The next morning, we heard about the operation and a few hours later, we were asked to vacate the hostel," said Goutam Mohanty, a final year student and a resident of Bhadrak.
Goutam added that of outstation students in the university, the majority are from Odisha. Of them, while the girls were accommodated in university hostels, the boys stayed in rented facilities nearby.
However, as the students are appearing for their semester examinations, which were scheduled to be over by May 11, they refused to leave.
"Since we had our last two papers on May 8 and 11, we decided not to leave. The university conducted both the papers hurriedly yesterday and asked us to leave by evening. Our vice-chancellor Shrinivasa Varakhedi made train arrangements for all of us including those who stayed in the mess," said Abhay Das, a resident of Jajpur and a second year student.
Minutes after they boarded the train to New Delhi at 7.15 pm, the students received information of drone and missile attacks in Jammu including places near Bhalwal.
Receiving information, the Odisha's chief resident commissioner at Delhi Vishal Gagan facilitated accommodation for the boys at Tyagraj Jagannath temple and girls at Odisha Sadan. The CRC office informed that while train tickets to Odisha were arranged by the government for over 70 students on Friday morning, the remaining will be sent back in the night through the Purushottam Express.
While an equal number of Odia students, studying in various universities and institutes at Mohali, Chandigarh and Amritsar are expected to reach Delhi today, Saturday, May 10, efforts are also being made to bring back stranded students from Kashmir.
