Kharkiv , March 01 : An Indian student lost his life in the shelling in Kharkiv on Tuesday morning, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi stated. “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,” he tweeted.
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.
— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) March 1, 2022
The Indian student has been identified as Naveen Shekharappa Gyanagoudar, 20, from Karnataka and was a fourth-year medical student at the Kharkiv National Medical University. “Naveen was shot dead around 10.30 am Ukrainian time today.
According to news reports , he 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,” said Sridharan Gopalakrishnan, who was Naveen’s hostel mate.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered condolences to the family of the Indian student killed in Ukraine’s Kharkiv. PM Modi spoke to the family of Naveen following the news of the Indian student’s demise in Kharkiv shelling.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai also condoled the demise of Naveen, a resident of Haveri district.
Meanwhile ,the Indian embassy in Kyiv, in an advisory issued Tuesday, asked Indians asked to leave Kyiv urgently through ‘any means available’. The advisory comes as Moscow strengthened its attack on Ukraine and closed in on the capital, Kyiv, even as talks aimed at stopping the fighting yielded only an agreement to keep talking.
Around 16,000 Indian students are still stranded in Ukraine. Many students have shared photos and videos on social media from underground bunkers, metro stations and bomb shelters, where they have been hiding since the Russian attack started last Thursday. Around 9,000 Indian nationals have left by various special flights.
Several Indian students remain stuck in eastern parts of Ukraine, which is most affected by the Russian military offensive, and they are finding it difficult to travel by road to reach the western borders. Students have also been walking to the borders in sub-zero conditions, hoping to cross over and take a flight home.
( With Agency inputs )
