Shock as Indians fall on distant battlefields

Tejpal Singh (29), one of the two Indians recruited by the Russian army and recently killed in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, last spoke with his family on March 3, said a relative.

The identity of the other Indian recruit, who also died, is not yet known. Russian authorities have not yet handed over the bodies to Indian embassy officials in Moscow, a government source said.

India has taken a harsh view of the Russian military’s continued recruitment of Indian nationals for the conflict, saying it was not “in line” with the India-Russia partnership. Announcing the death of the two nationals, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MEA) said the matter had been taken up both with the Kremlin in Moscow and directly with the Russian ambassador in Delhi, calling for the “release and rapid return” of all Indians. in the Russian army.

“We have specifically told Russian officials that no matter how these Indians reached the war front and under what circumstances, they should be sent back,” Foreign Minister Vinay Kwatra told reporters when asked about the latest deaths, adding that India was also trying to stop any illegal recruitment by middlemen in India, who take Indians to Russia for jobs in the Russian army.

In a particularly strong statement on Wednesday, the MEA said India had also demanded a “verified halt” to any further recruitment of Indian nationals by the Russian military. “Such activities would not be in line with our partnership,” the MEA said in the statement, indicating that bilateral relations were under strain due to the continued deployment of Indians in the Russian-Ukrainian war front.

Singh, a resident of Amritsar in Punjab, had left India on December 20, 2023. He first visited Thailand and then traveled to Russia on a tourist visa.

“He joined the Russian army and was in regular contact with us. There was no problem. He last spoke with his wife on March 3. Since then he has remained incommunicado. On June 9, his uncle received a call from an acquaintance informing him that Tejpal had died,” said Harjinder Singh, Tejpal Singh’s brother-in-law.

Tejpal Singh is survived by his father, his wife and his two children: a five-year-old son and a two-year-old daughter.

“He told his wife he was going to take training. We have not yet received confirmation of his death through official channels,” the relative said.

Tejpal Singh aspired to join the Indian Army, but after failing in his attempts, he decided to go abroad to earn more money, another insider said.

“We’re told he died on March 12, but we didn’t hear back until June 9, when the call came. There was no response from the Indian embassy to our calls and letters,” the relative said.

So far, at least two Indians have been killed in the Russian-Ukrainian war zone. Ashvinbhai Mangukiya (23), a resident of Surat in Gujarat, and Mohammad Asfan (31) from Hyderabad, Telangana, who were hired as aides to the Russian army but forced to participate in the ongoing war, were killed on January 27 and February. 21, respectively. Their bodies, however, were returned to India on March 16.

The Hindu first reported on February 20 that at least three Indians hired as security agents by Russia had been forced to fight alongside that country’s forces on the Russian-Ukrainian border, and that around 100 Indians would have been hired in the last year. year. They were promised a salary of ₹1.5 lakh to ₹2 lakh per month and the option to choose Russian citizenship after a year.

At least 30 Indians have contacted the MEA and the Indian embassy in Moscow seeking help to return.

Read | Indians hired as ‘helpers’ forced to fight in Russian war

The government source said the two men killed recently were not among the 30 Indians who had asked them for help.

“The Russians have confirmed the deaths but have not yet provided information on the whereabouts of the bodies. We were told that the bodies would be handed over to Rostov-on-Don (in southern Russia),” the source said.

Mohammad Mustafa, brother of Sameer Ahmad from Karnataka, among the 30 Indians who requested help, said: The Hindu that they had not yet seen concrete measures taken by the government.

“My brother is still stuck at the Ukrainian border; he has been living like a prisoner for four months. We can talk to him from time to time. All embassy officials tell us is that the repatriation is underway. Is India so weak that the Russians don’t pay attention to us? » said Mr. Mustafa.