Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, March 1: An Indian student studying medicine in a university in Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine was killed on Tuesday in shelling by Russian army, the government said. “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 Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.
The deceased student has been identified as Naveen Shekharappa Gyanagoudar, 20, a native of Chalageri in Haveri district in Karnataka. He was a fourth-year medical student at the Kharkiv National Medical University in Kharkiv, the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority commissioner Dr Manoj Rajan said.
Naveen’s hostel mate Sridharan Gopalakrishnan, who hailed from Chennai said Naveen was shot dead around 10.30 A.M. Ukrainian time on Tuesday. He said Naveen was “standing in the queue before a grocery shop when the Russian army fired at people. We have no information about his body. None of us was able to visit the hospital, probably where it is kept now.”
Gopalakrishnan said all the students have now taken shelter at a hostel bunker and that there was no news about an evacuation plan for them. “Only rumours, there was no communication from Indian authorities,” he said.
A number of Indians are still stranded in Kharkiv where Russia has launched a major military offensive. Kharkiv, which is located barely 40 km from the Russian border, has been witnessing intense hostilities over the past few days. It houses one of the largest clusters of Indian students owing to the number of medical colleges in the area.
The MEA spokesperson added that Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla was calling in the ambassadors of Russia and Ukraine to reiterate India’s 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,” Bagchi tweeted.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai expressed his condolences over Gyanagoudar’s death. Bommai told reporters he spoke to the student’s parents and that efforts were being made to bring his body to India.
Earlier on Tuesday, India advised its citizens in Kyiv, which is the capital of Ukraine, to leave the city “urgently.” The Indian Embassy in Ukraine posted on Twitter, “All Indian nationals including students are advised to leave Kyiv urgently today. Preferably by available trains or through any other means available.”