New Delhi: A medical student from Haryana refused to leave war-torn Ukraine in order to look after the family of her landlord.
According to a report on PTC News, 17-year-old Neha said that the owner of the house she has been living in as a paying guest, has joined the Ukrainian army to serve the nation amid Russia’s attack, and she is looking after his wife and three children.
“I may live or not, but I will not leave these children and their mother in such a situation,” PTC News quoted Neha as saying.
Neha, who lost her father a couple of years back, was a teacher in Charkhi Dadri district of Haryana, before she got admitted to a medical college in Ukraine.
A student pursuing MBBS, Neha rented a room at the house of a construction engineer in Kyiv as she could not get a hostel accommodation.
“We keep on hearing blasts outside, but we are fine so far,” said Neha, who is currently living in a bunker with her landlord’s wife and children.
Savita Jakhar, a close friend of Neha’s mother, said that Neha got attached to the children of her landlord. Due to this attachment, despite her mother’s efforts to arrange for her evacuation, Neha refused to abandon the family at this juncture. Neha had also gotten advisories to leave the country as the war seemed imminent.
Savita, an educator from Jhanswa village in Jhajjar district of Haryana, is now a French national, currently based in Copenhagen, Denmark. She said that Neha’s family and acquaintances have been trying to convince her to return to India, but she has refused.
Taking to social media platform Facebook, Savita wrote, “She knows that she might lose her life, but she is determined not to return in the given circumstances. I don’t know what gives the girl so much strength to stand with the family.”
The post has gone viral, with a number of people praising Neha’s compassion and determination.