India summons Russia, Ukraine envoys after student killed in Kharkiv

India's envoys to Russia and Ukraine have taken up the matter with their respective governments, demanding safe passage for the stranded Indians

India on Tuesday summoned the envoys of Russia and Ukraine after a medical student from Karnataka was killed in shelling by Russian Army in Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine.

Naveen, a resident of Haveri in Karnataka, was killed near a grocery store when he was preparing to make an attempt to leave Kharkiv, which has been witnessing intense fight between Russian and Ukrainian forces for Lviv.

India's envoys to Russia and Ukraine, Pawan Kapoor and Partha Sathpathy, have also taken up the matter with their respective governments, demanding safe passage for the stranded Indians.

“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,” Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, tweeted. “We convey our deepest condolences to the family.”

Shringla called in Russia’s newly-appointed ambassador to India, Denis Alipov, and the deputy ambassador, Roman Babushkin, to his office in South Block soon after news of Naveen’s death arrived in New Delhi.

India conveyed to Russia and Ukraine that the deteriorating situation in Kharkiv was a matter of grave concern for the government.

A source in New Delhi said that the Embassy of India in Moscow had already stationed a team of officials at Belgorod, a town close to Russia’s border with Ukraine. It had been tasked to make arrangements for evacuation of citizens of Indians from Kharkiv and other places in war-torn eastern Ukraine through Russia. The evacuation route however could not be opened so far due to intense fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces in and around Kharkiv and nearby cities, said the source.

The Foreign Secretary also called in Kyiv’s envoy to New Delhi, Igor Polikha, to request assistance from the Ukrainian government in evacuation of citizens of India.

Polikha had on Monday said that the Ukrainian government was trying its best to help citizens of India stranded in the war-torn East European nation, but only Russian President Vladimir Putin could ensure their safety by withdrawing his invading army and stopping the war.

India has a large number of citizens – mostly students – stranded in Kharkiv, Sumy and other places in eastern, south-eastern and north-eastern Ukraine – the areas, which have been witnessing intense fighting ever since the launch of military operations by Russia early on February 24.

New Delhi has been able to start evacuation of Indians from western Ukraine through neighbouring Romania, Poland, Slovak Republic and Hungary and is trying to do the same with Poland. But it has not been able to help the Indians in eastern Ukraine – even as many of them have already spent three days in bunkers and underground metro stations, which are being used as shelters amid bombing by Russia.

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