KOLKATA: The Indian embassy in Israel assured Indians in the war-torn country of their “safety and security” even as youngsters from Bengal studying there looked for ways to return home at the earliest. The assurance from the ministry of external affairs seemed to have little effect on the students and research scholars, who were worried over uncertain flights from Tel Aviv to Delhi.
The X handle of Air India was on Wednesday flooded with queries. Chandrama Ghosh, a research scholar at Bar-Ilan University, had booked tickets to India on Thursday. After the flights were rescheduled, she sent an inquiry for the next probable date.
The Thursday flight that a postdoctoral researcher at Weizmann Institute of Science, Chirantan Pramanik, was supposed to catch, was also cancelled.
“We heard AI suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv till at least October 14,” said Uttarpara resident Somoday Hazra, a researcher at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. “With flights being uncertain now, we don’t know how to return home any time soon. If there is no direct flight to Delhi, we have the option of travelling via Larnaca, Cyprus or Istanbul, Turkey. But even those flights are getting cancelled.”
An Indian embassy official on Wednesday reached out to researchers and students at Tel Aviv University. “They have taken our details in case we have to be shifted out. They assured us of every help. We are hoping for the flights to resume,” said Sourav Kumar, a resident of Dhaniakhali, now pursuing postdoctoral research at the university.
Sankhanava Kundu, a final-year Phd student at the University of Haifa, said, “We are stressed as the situation has started to worsen after the night attack. But still, I will wait and watch and try to finish my final-year course before leaving,” he said over phone. “A few days ago, the embassy gave us a form to fill our details, including locations. The universities have alerted us about bomb-shelters in the vicinity.”
Kolaghat’s Niladri Roychowdhury went to Israel in March for research in cancer and was to return in November for a vacation. “My son is spending days in a bomb-shelter now. He is traumatized. The embassy on Tuesday assured us of every help. We hope for his safe return,” said Tapas Roychowdhury, his father.
The X handle of Air India was on Wednesday flooded with queries. Chandrama Ghosh, a research scholar at Bar-Ilan University, had booked tickets to India on Thursday. After the flights were rescheduled, she sent an inquiry for the next probable date.
The Thursday flight that a postdoctoral researcher at Weizmann Institute of Science, Chirantan Pramanik, was supposed to catch, was also cancelled.
“We heard AI suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv till at least October 14,” said Uttarpara resident Somoday Hazra, a researcher at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. “With flights being uncertain now, we don’t know how to return home any time soon. If there is no direct flight to Delhi, we have the option of travelling via Larnaca, Cyprus or Istanbul, Turkey. But even those flights are getting cancelled.”
An Indian embassy official on Wednesday reached out to researchers and students at Tel Aviv University. “They have taken our details in case we have to be shifted out. They assured us of every help. We are hoping for the flights to resume,” said Sourav Kumar, a resident of Dhaniakhali, now pursuing postdoctoral research at the university.
Sankhanava Kundu, a final-year Phd student at the University of Haifa, said, “We are stressed as the situation has started to worsen after the night attack. But still, I will wait and watch and try to finish my final-year course before leaving,” he said over phone. “A few days ago, the embassy gave us a form to fill our details, including locations. The universities have alerted us about bomb-shelters in the vicinity.”
Kolaghat’s Niladri Roychowdhury went to Israel in March for research in cancer and was to return in November for a vacation. “My son is spending days in a bomb-shelter now. He is traumatized. The embassy on Tuesday assured us of every help. We hope for his safe return,” said Tapas Roychowdhury, his father.
