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An Indian student was killed on Tuesday in Ukraine’s second largest city Kharkiv amid the ongoing Russian shelling, the Ministry of External Affairs said. The MEA added that the ministry is in touch with the family of the student.
“With profound sorrow we confirm that an Indian student lost his life in shelling in Kharkiv this morning. The Ministry is in touch with his family. We convey our deepest condolences to the family,” tweeted MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.
Bagchi added, “Foreign Secretary is calling in Ambassadors of Russia and Ukraine to reiterate our demand for urgent safe passage for Indian nationals who are still in Kharkiv and cities in other conflict zones. Similar action is also being undertaken by our Ambassadors in Russia and Ukraine.”
“Naveen Shekharappa, a Haveri district student died in Ukraine. CM Basavaraj Bommai spoke with his father. All efforts will be made to bring back Naveen’s body to India. The CM said that the matter is being negotiated with foreign ministry officials,” said Karnataka CMO.
The Chief Minister called up Naveen’s father Shekhar Gouda and consoled him. Terming the development as a real tragedy, the Chief Minister assured the family of all support for bringing back Naveen’s mortal remains to India. He said that the state government is following up on the matter with the Ministry of External Affairs.
Recounting his son’s last phone call to him earlier Tuesday morning, an emotional Shekhar Gouda said that Naveen used to telephone him at least two or three times a day. Naveen was studying in Ukraine for the last 4 years, IANS reported.
A number of Indians are still stranded in Kharkiv where Russia has launched a major military offensive.
The MEA said the foreign secretary is calling in ambassadors of Russia and Ukraine to reiterate India’s demand for “urgent safe passage” to Indian nationals who are still in Kharkiv and other cities in conflict zones.
“Similar action is also being undertaken by our ambassadors in Russia and Ukraine,” the MEA said.
The administration building in the center of Kharkiv came under Russian shelling on Tuesday along with residential buildings, said Oleh Sinehubov, the head of the Kharkiv regional administration as Moscow started sixth day of its invasion.
Synegubov said Russia launched GRAD and cruise missiles on Kharkiv but that the city defence was holding.
“Such attacks are genocide of the Ukrainian people, a war crime against the civilian population!” he said.
We have confirmed from MEA the unfortunate demise of Naveen Shekharappa in #Ukraine. He was from Chalageri, Haveri; had left for a nearby store to buy something. Later his friend got a call from a local official that he (Naveen) has died: Manoj Rajan, Commissioner, Karnataka SDMA pic.twitter.com/S9iEyYzrx8
— ANI (@ANI) March 1, 2022
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the Indian Air Force (IAF) to evacuate Indians stranded in Ukraine due to the Russian military offensive against that country, sources told PTI on Tuesday.
The IAF is likely to deploy several C-17 aircraft as part of Operation Ganga from Tuesday, they said.
Till now, only private Indian carriers were evacuating Indians from Romania and Hungary, countries with land borders with Ukraine on the western side, as the Ukrainian airspace had been shut since February 24.
Therefore, it is imperative that Russia&Ukraine respond to our need for safe passage urgently. In places where the conflict has not endangered movement, we’ve been able to evacuate our citizens: Sources
— ANI (@ANI) March 1, 2022
India began evacuation of around 14,000 of its stranded citizens on February 26.
In order to scale up the ongoing evacuation efforts under Operational Ganga, PM Modi has called for the IAF to join the exercise, the sources said.
Leveraging the capacities of the IAF will ensure that more people can be evacuated in a shorter time frame, they noted.
The large C-17 aircraft will also help deliver humanitarian aid to war-hit Ukraine more efficiently, they mentioned.
Indians make up around a quarter of the 76,000 foreign students in Ukraine, by far the largest number, according to Ukrainian government data.
New Delhi has evacuated around 4,000 Indians in the last month, but some 16,000 remain trapped since Russia invaded the former Soviet republic last week, according to the latest data from India’s foreign ministry.
The Indian government has dispatched four ministers to neighbouring countries to assist in the rescue efforts.
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