India evacuates its 77 citizens from Syria amidst panicky situation

New Delhi: A batch of Indian nationals, who returned to their homeland on Saturday after being evacuated from crisis-hit Syria, recalled the panic situation they faced in that country but praised the Indian Embassy there for being in “constant touch” with them.

Some of the returnees, soon after landing at the Delhi airport late evening, shared with media their experiences of the last week.

Sunil Dutt, a native of Chandigarh, and a mechanical engineer, alleged that there were some “anti-social elements” too in the streets who were also “looting stuff”.

It was a very bad situation and sights of fire and sounds of bombarding made it worse, he said.

However, the Indian Embassy was in “constant touch with us” and its personnel” asked us to be calm, not open doors” to ensure safety, Dutt told reporters at Delhi airport.

India has evacuated from Syria all its nationals who wished to return home after rebel forces overthrew President Bashar Assad’s authoritarian government in the Arab nation.

The Syrian government collapsed on Sunday as the rebels seized control of capital Damascus after capturing several other prominent cities and towns.

“We have evacuated all Indian nationals in Syria who wished to return home following recent developments in that country. So far, 77 Indian nationals from Syria have been evacuated,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Friday during his weekly briefing.

The Indian Embassy personnel in Damascus accompanied them to the border, after which our mission in Lebanon received them and facilitated their immigration, he said.

Sachit Kapoor, a resident of Greater Noida, was also among the Indians who arrived in Delhi on Saturday.

“We were in Syria for nearly seven months. The situation worsened on December 7. We were shifted to Damascus city and then we saw fire and bombarding all around. It was a panic situation. We were a team of 11 at a luxury hotel. Situation got worsened. People were running amok in the streets, some looting also,” he said.

Because of the Indian Embassy in Syria, “we were shifted to Lebanon very smoothly and we faced no issues”, Kapoor recalled.

The electrical engineer said in Lebanon too, “our lodging and food facility was very good”.

He thanked the Ministry of External Affairs for the assistance rendered to the affected Indians, who wish to return to home country.

Ratan Lal, another Indian national who arrived at the Delhi airport on Saturday, said: “I have been in Syria for the last five years.”

When the situation got worsened, “we were called to Damascus and there lodged at a hotel. And, then visa was given, and then we went to the airport for the onward journey,” he recalled.

Lal said the situation was very bad and added that his family members told him to return somehow.

Chetan Lal, another returnee who hails from Gurgaon district of Haryana, said that he was working in Syria for the last 10 years in a glass bottle-making company.

“For three days, we were lodged at Damascus. The Lebanese and Syrian Embassy also cooperated with us a lot in aiding us in the return journey,” he said.

The Indian Embassy in Syria continues to function, Jaiswal said on Friday.

Earlier on Monday, India called for a peaceful and inclusive Syrian-led political process to bring stability in that country.