NEW DELHI: Dr Rupesh Gandhi, who was born and brought up in Sudan, felt relieved after he landed at Delhi airport on Wednesday night with the help of a
special evacuation flight under operation Kaveri. “Heavy firing and bombing is on. My colleagues are dead. I am never going back to Sudan,” said Gandhi, accompanied by his wife Reena, who is a native of Gujarat.
Reena said the last few days in Sudan were a nightmare and they were living without electricity and water.
The couple was among 367 passengers who arrived at Delhi airport on a special flight from Jeddah, the Saudi port city where they had arrived from Port Sudan. Sudan is witnessing intense clashes between military and main parliamentary forces.
After the flight landed at 9.11pm, many passengers exited chanting “Jai Shri Ram”.
Sidharth Rai, 37, who arrived with his wife and two children, said they had to take a dangerous 900km bus ride to reach Port Sudan from Khartoum. “After the bombings and missile attacks started in residential areas, we decided to take the risk. We arranged a bus carrying 50 Indians to reach Port Sudan and were in touch with the Indian Embassy. Though it was challenging to travel due to the intensive fighting, we are happy to have taken that call,” said Rai.
‘Happy to reach India, but sad to leave home behind’Rai’s wife Neha said staying on in Sudan had become particularly tough for children as food and water sources were depleting.
Mahendra Yadav, who worked in a factory in Sudan, said, “After the clashes began, all shops were closed and people preferred to stay indoors. Some locals resorted to robbing and they snatched away my mobile phone and money.”
Indians evacuated from Sudan arrive in India.
Murari Shraff, who is a general manager in a mobile company, said the condition became complicated in Sudan in the past few days. “People have been protesting for months but the situation became intense in the past fortnight. It escalated in the past few days and we are lucky to safely reach India,” said he.
Many Indians were happy to reach India, but they were disappointed that they left their home and loved ones behind. Taresem Singh Saini, a businessman, and his wife Divinder, who have been living in Khartoum since 1994, were sad as they left behind their pet dog, Browny.
“Browny is like our child and has been living with us for 12 years. We left him with a family, and I am worried about his well-being,” said Divinder. The couple added that they have a house there but could bring only some stuff in two suitcases.
Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, Location Guesser and Mini Crossword.