Coronavirus outbreak: Indian embassy helps students stuck in Kazakhstan

HYDERABAD: It took a court order in India to move the Indian embassy in Astana, Kazakhstan to come to the aid of Indian students stuck in the country as a result of cancellation of flights due to coronavirus. The embassy, which had asked the students to fend for themselves after they were stranded in the airport at Almaty, provided them with hotel accommodation and made food arrangements for them following directions from the court.
“We are now comfortable and are thankful to the embassy,” Sameer, a student told TOI from Kazakhstan.Lawyer Miriam Fozia Rahman filed a petition on behalf of the Indian students stranded at Almaty airport, Kazakhstan in the Delhi high court. According to Rahman, in what was a first, a hearing was conducted through video conference by the judges, her (the petitioner) and the MEA counsel Jasmeet Singh.

On Wednesday, the high court directed the embassy to ensure the welfare of the Indian students who were stranded in Kazakhstan. The court also directed that a nodal officer be appointed from the embassy to take care of the students.
“The embassy was indifferent to us when we approached it for help,” medical student Sameer said. An audio recording of the rash response of the embassy staff when students called for help also went viral. There are nearly 500 students, mostly medical students, stuck in Kazakhstan unable to return to India on account of cancellation of flights. The students sent videos of themselves stranded at Almaty airport to TOI explaining the condition they were in. Their issue was highlighted in TOI on March 23. After they were evicted from the Almaty airport, the students were forced to look for accommodation with friends or people they knew but it became difficult to continue the arrangement.
Following the direction of the Delhi high court, the embassy announced that it was appointing a nodal officer forIndian students in Almaty. It put out a noticed which read: “All Indian students in Kazakhstan (outside of Almaty) who arrived in Almaty to take a flight to India but were not able to leave and require boarding, lodging, food and medicine may contact Martin Cyriac Clemense, Second secretary, and officer-in-charge of Representative Office of India, Almaty. Cell no. +71702207608 and email cons.almaty@mea.gov.in”