Ukraine crisis: Trying to bring back medical student’s body, says Karnataka CM

The news agency ANI reported, “efforts to bring back Naveen Shekharappa’s (an MBBS student who died in shelling in Ukraine) body is in progress. We’re in touch with the Indian embassy, also spoke to External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar on the matter: Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai.”

Earlier this week, the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) Commissioner Dr Manoj Rajan said that the Indian student, who lost his life in Kharkiv due shelling in the area, was identified as Naveen Shekharappa from Chalageri village of Haveri district in Karnataka.

“We have confirmed from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) the unfortunate demise of Naveen Shekharappa in Ukraine. He was from Chalageri, Haveri. He had left for a nearby store to buy something. Later his friend got a call from a local official that he (Naveen) has died,” said Karnataka SDMA.

MEA in a statement said that one Indian student has lost his life in Kharkiv this morning because of shelling in the area. Taking to Twitter, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had shared the information and expressed condolences to the family. “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 wrote in the tweet.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a high-level meeting on Monday evening over the Ukraine crisis said that the entire government machinery is working round the clock to ensure that all Indians there are safe and secure, said Bagchi.

(With inputs from agencies)