EAM Jaishankar assures Govt would go 'all out' to bring back Naveen's mortal remains

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday addressed the Rajya Sabha on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and India's 'Operation Ganga', asserting that the Government would go all out to bring back the mortal remains of Naveen Shekharappa, the Indian student who was killed in Kharkiv. 

"Tragically Naveen Shekharappa succumbed to injuries. Harjot Singh was injured in the firing, and he was brought back via Indian airlines. We will ensure Naveen's mortal remains are brought back to the country. We will take every effort to bring back the mortal remains of Naveen Shekharappa," EAM Jaishankar assured. 

Naveen Shekharappa, 21, was studying at Kharkiv National Medical University. Following his tragic demise, Naveen's father requested the government to bring back the mortal remains of his son so his last rites could be performed.

Indian student killed in Ukraine

On March 1, India recorded its first casualty in the Russia-Ukraine war after Naveen Shekharappa lost his life in the Russian shelling that took place in Ukraine's Kharkiv. Shekharappa, originally from the Haveri region of Karnataka, was a 4th-year MBBS student at Kharkiv National Medical University. He was reportedly standing in a queue to buy food when he was killed in Russian shelling. After the matter came to light, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a brief interaction with the father of the deceased on a phone call, to extend his condolences. 

Days later, an Indian national Harjot Singh sustained bullet injuries in Kyiv. He was driven 700 km by an Indian embassy driver and then evacuated through Poland amidst significant war zone constraints of shelling and bombing, detours, traffic jams and fuel shortage. The Indian Embassy driver, at the peril of his life, drove Harjot from Kyiv to the Bodomierz border in Poland. He was brought back aboard an Indian Air Force aircraft IAF C17.

With the evacuation of the last 600 stranded Indian students from Ukraine's Sumy city on March 11, the Government of India has successfully completed Operation Ganga. While several countries put a halt to their evacuation operations, asking their citizens to stay put and remain inside their homes/facilities, India managed to retrieve all its citizens based in Ukraine, tying up special arrangements with bordering nations. The country has rescued over 20,000 citizens through 90 special flights.