RUDRAPUR: The remains of a 30-year-old man from Uttarakhand, who had gone to Russia on a study visa and had been allegedly sent to the Ukraine conflict zone to fight Russia’s war, was returned to India in a coffin on Wed, casting a pall of gloom over his family and village and renewing disturbing allegations of Indian youths being forcibly recruited into the Russian army.
Rakesh Kumar Maurya of Kushmoth village in Udham Singh Nagar district had left for Russia on Aug 7 after securing admission in St Petersburg University.
According to his kin, Rakesh was supposed to pursue higher studies there, but he soon began hinting to his family of “being caught in extremely distressing circumstances”.
His father, Raj Bahadur Singh, who works in a private firm at SIDCUL, said, “We sent our son abroad for studies, not to fight a war... We want the truth to come out.” As reported by TOI earlier, the family had made intense efforts to bring back their son and had been assured by Union govt officials that they would intervene with the Russian govt.
His elder brother, Deepu Maurya, said the family’s last detailed conversation with Rakesh was on Aug 30. “He told us that he had been forcibly inducted into the Russian army. His passport and other documents were confiscated, his mobile phone and laptop were checked, and official emails were deleted. He was made to sign papers written in Russian and was put in military uniform,” Deepu said.
The family alleged that Rakesh was taken to Donbas, where he received only a few days of military training before being sent directly to the war zone in Ukraine. Soon after the Aug 30 call, all communication with him ended, they said, adding that they received his photograph in Russian military uniform later, which heightened their worst fears. Deepu had sent an email to the ministry of external affairs on Sept 5 and also approached the Indian embassy in Moscow for his brother’s safe return.
“We were hoping he would return alive,” he said, adding that there has been no official confirmation yet regarding the circumstances
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