More than 10 students from Karnataka stranded in Ukraine: CM Bommai
Bengaluru, Feb 24: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday said at least ten students of the state are stranded in Ukraine, and the government is working with the Indian Embassy there and Ministry of External Affairs to bring them back home safely.
He said that he will also be speaking to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in this regard.
"At the time when war broke out between Russia and Ukraine, about hundred Indian students were on their way to the airport in two buses and got stranded, as the flights could not land. More than 10 are from Karnataka, we are gathering information about them," Bommai said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, his government is in constant touch with the Indian Embassy in Ukraine, the Chief Secretary is in touch with the Foreign Secretary, and that he will also be personally speaking to the External Affairs Minister in this regard.
"A message has been sent to the Embassy, and the Embassy is guiding the students on where to reach and the security situation. They should be safe first, and when the flights begin operation, all measures will be taken to bring them back home, in coordination with the Government of India," he added.
Stating that students were coming back to India in batches as per their convenience, the Chief Minister said, this was probably the last batch and they had almost reached the airport, when the situation changed.
India on Thursday was firming up contingency plans including activating alternate air routes to evacuate its citizens from Ukraine as the spectre of a massive Russian offensive loomed over the eastern European country after President Vladimir Putin announced a military operation.
The Ministry of External Affairs held a series of high-level meetings to put into operation certain contingency plans in view of the rapidly changing situation in Ukraine.
Official sources have said given that the Ukrainian airspace was closed for civilian aircraft, alternate evacuation routes are being activated to bring back the Indians, especially the students.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
