An associate professor at the Tamil Nadu Agriculture University (TNAU), here, on a two-month training programme in Israel has been stranded in the conflict zone and she has sought help to return to Tamil Nadu, her husband, who is a HoD at the same varsity has said.

She has been spending sleepless nights at The Negev, a large desert region in southern Israel, as the region is in close proximity to Gaza, T Ramesh, an associate professor and Head of the Department, TNAU, said.

“For three days since Saturday she had to seek protection under a shelter, the moment she heard the siren before the bombardment and returned to her room in The Negev after the Israeli government made the announcement,” Ramesh told PTI.

“At present, Radhika (his wife) is safe and she is being provided food and water," Ramesh said and added that the raging war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas is causing her stress. “She is very anxious to return home and our 13-year-old son, who is also apprehensive, wants to see his mother back home safe,” he said.

Radhika, a PhD holder in Agronomy, left for Israel on September 23 to attend a two-month government of India sponsored training programme at the Ben-Gurion University. Both she and her husband have been in constant touch with the governments of Tamil Nadu and the Centre since the war began.

Ramesh said he came to know of his wife’s plight on WhatsApp messages. He said the Indian embassy had already contacted her and assured to process her request at the earliest.

As the Indian government launched Operation Ajay to repatriate the citizens from Israel and Palestine, the Tamil Nadu government said about 21 people from the state arrived at New Delhi in the first flight on October 12.

“All the 21 people from Coimbatore, Tiruvarur, Cuddalore,Tiruchirappalli, Theni, Karur, Virudhunagar, Namakkal, Pudukottai, Kancheepuram, and Chennai had arrived at the Chennai and Coimbatore airports, respectively, on Friday morning,” an official release in Chennai said.

Quoting Chief Minister M K Stalin, the release said the state government was taking all steps to ensure the safe return of all Tamils stranded in Israel, through the Centre and Indian embassy officials.

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