Odisha: First batch of Odisha students evacuated from Israel arrives in Bhubaneswar

ANI

Bhubaneswar (Odisha), June 24, 2025 (ANI): First batch of Odisha students evacuated from Israel arrives in Bhubaneswar. Dr Arup Kumar Sahu, an Indian national evacuated from Israel, said, “It was very scary. We have been travelling for the last 48 hours... Those 10 nights of war will be remembered for the rest of our lives... The central and the state government coordinated properly and ensured a smooth journey for us...”

Transcript

00:00I'm a second year PhD student, so I will be finishing my PhD after three years almost.

00:30The situation in Israel was not extremely good, but still it's a continuous process.

00:39Every time we had missiles, even before this war, but this time it was like a lot of missiles

00:45and a lot of high power missiles which were hitting the buildings, but then I will say

00:52it was not like all the missiles were hitting, but 20% of the missiles were hitting.

00:58The university was closed for like one week and till now I think the university is closed

01:05because of the precautions.

01:07We have an app called Homefront Command which gives us all the necessary details that if

01:12we should actually do gatherings or where should we be and these things.

01:18So we get siren alerts like five minutes before and then 90 seconds of the siren sound where

01:24we need to just run to the bomb shelter.

01:28So also the Indian Embassy was in close contact with us and we knew it that if anything happens

01:35then Indian Embassy is there to help us.

01:37So like obviously I had that trust so it was really easy and I had all the hopes and trust

01:43and they did it.

01:44So how situation was over there when the Iran-Israel conflict was going on?

01:48So initially like in the first day they just sent us an alert that okay there might be something

01:55because Israel is going to destroy the nuclear powers of Iran.

02:00So that night we were sleepless and after that we didn't get any attack from Israel but I think

02:09next day we started getting many missiles at 3 a.m. or 5 a.m. 8 a.m. like random time

02:17any time literally like in two three hours every two three hours they were sending missiles.

02:22But so basically we were sleepless we were running to bomb shelters apart from that there was some

02:30tension but it was not that we will die it was like okay we need to be alert that we don't die

02:35we don't stay outside the bomb shelter when there is the siren.

02:38How was the accommodation on putting an alert about their wild conflict?

02:43Accommodation the university provides us accommodation like not only in this time but

02:48like whenever there is a student they provide that particular accommodation and then there are bomb

02:54shelters in every floor so it's not very far away from one room it's literally one minute away

03:02and then about food we need to prepare our own food but then there was not as much disruptions

03:09due to the war obviously they were not running in full capacity but the food stores the grocery

03:17stores and electricity everything was there everything was there but it was just that we need to run

03:22when there was a siren that was the situation.

03:24I really feel good and I think I will sleep for like two days for sure because I haven't slept

03:33properly for like 13 days I mean for the 10 days in Israel my sleep was deprived for like 50 percent

03:41and now in this flight it was a long flight and also they were because we were the first batch and they

03:47were first time rescuing us via jordan as the israeli airspace is like closed so they managed very

03:54well but it was extremely long like we had to stay in jordan one day as the border crossing took around

04:0010 hours which was unexpected as there was like too much crowd and then in jordan we stayed for a day

04:08and then we started from jordan to kuwait and yesterday from kuwait what happened that there was a missile

04:16in between the flight and then we had to just return back to kuwait on our way

04:23I really want to say thank you and for because of the government we we people dare to go to different

04:30places we we people really think okay yes we should do something um for me for me it's like I want to

04:37continue my phd and do good research and then do something good for my own country and this gives

04:43me more trust and hopes that yes I can do it because I have someone in my behind my back always so thanks

04:50a lot yes it's a very scary like we are now we are traveling from since 48 hours I think and before

04:58that it the war has I think 10 days it has started on 23rd sorry on 13th june and it's now on 23rd we

05:07left Israel so those 10 nights like we'll remember for the rest of life and where because we are not

05:14acquainted with war we are from india and from odisha so we only see funny and hoodoo so when this war

05:20and war happens and the missiles are going passes through our air some are hitting near of our institute

05:27and also one of the institute not our institute another wise man institute has hit so that's a scary

05:33situation but government of india and the odisha government they have coordinated properly and

05:37they bring you back to home that's very good in um very very good because comment has provided us

05:47the globe air carrier of an indian force to bring back home super fast boss very good uh the accts

05:56means the comment has did everything what they can do for comfortable joining but we cannot do it

06:01like when the missiles are coming from israel or going uh coming from the iran so some of our

06:06student those who are coming in first base uh they saw when they are in the air the missiles are going

06:12through their windows yeah yeah it's very scary but so what is your message for government of india

06:19government i thankful to government of india modiji and our uh embassy of tel aviv embassy of

06:25jordan who have uh carried from jordan border to jordan airport and also our government of orisha they

06:32ensure that we are safety and also you know that our when our susma swaraj miyama our minister they

06:39she told that if you are from indian citizen and you are stuck in on marshal so we will evacuate you so

06:45they are stick to their language so you know we are very happy that we are indian citizens and we are proud of it

06:55of indian citizens and we are very happy that we are very happy that we have to be able to do it

07:02in the way

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