Indian student killed in shelling in Ukraine

An Indian student was killed today in shelling in Ukraine, and the foreign Ministry said as it urged Russia and Ukraine to secure safe passage for thousands of citizens stranded in the middle of the war. Naveen Shekharappa, a 21-year old final year medical student from Karnataka’s Haveri, died when Russian soldiers blew up a government building on Tuesday.

“With profound sorrow, we are confirming that one of the Indian students lost his life during shelling in Kharkiv today morning. The Ministry is in touch with the kin’s family. We convey our deepest condolences to the family,” tweeted the External Affairs Ministry.

He said that Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla “was calling in the ambassadors of Russia and Ukraine to reiterate India’s demand for urgent safe passage for Indian nationals who are still in Kharkiv and cities in other conflict zones.” It is essential that Russia & Ukraine urgently respond to the need for safe passage, said sources.

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi also talked to the student’s father and called his fourth meeting in three days on the Ukraine crisis. Earlier, he had dispatched four ministers to Ukraine’s border nations to coordinate evacuations.

Satellite images showed a long convoy of Russian military vehicles on roadways northwest of Kyiv. Hundreds of tanks, towed artillery, armoured and logistical vehicles can be seen in the images released by a US-based space technology company.

Over 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.