A pall of gloom descended upon Kushmoth village in Udham Singh Nagar district as the mortal remains of a 30-year-old man, who had travelled to Russia for higher studies but allegedly ended up fighting and dying in the Ukraine war, were returned to his family on Wednesday. The tragic incident has reignited serious concerns about Indian youths being forcibly recruited into the Russian military.
From Study Visa to a War Zone
Rakesh Kumar Maurya left his village for Russia on August 7 after securing admission at St Petersburg University. His family, who had sent him abroad with dreams of academic success, soon began receiving distressing hints from Rakesh himself. He spoke of being trapped in extremely difficult and worrying circumstances, far removed from a student's life.
His elder brother, Deepu Maurya, revealed that their last detailed conversation with Rakesh was on August 30. In that fateful call, Rakesh disclosed that he had been forcibly inducted into the Russian army. According to the family's account, his passport and other crucial documents were confiscated. His mobile phone and laptop were checked, and official emails were deleted. He was made to sign papers written in Russian, a language he did not understand, and was put into military uniform.
A Family's Desperate Struggle and Ultimate Loss
The family alleges that Rakesh was taken to the Donbas region, where he received only a few days of rudimentary military training before being dispatched directly to the front lines in Ukraine. After the August 30 call, all communication with him ceased abruptly. The family's worst fears were confirmed when they later received a photograph of Rakesh dressed in Russian military fatigues.
Acting swiftly, Deepu Maurya sent an email to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on September 5 and also approached the Indian Embassy in Moscow, pleading for intervention to secure his brother's safe return. "We were hoping he would return alive," a grieving Deepu stated. The family had been assured by Union government officials that they would take up the matter with Russian authorities.
Rakesh's father, Raj Bahadur Singh, who works for a private firm in SIDCUL, expressed profound anguish and a demand for answers. "We sent our son abroad for studies, not to fight a war. Our world has been destroyed. We want the truth to come out," he said.
Unanswered Questions and a Disturbing Pattern
The return of Rakesh's body in a coffin has not been accompanied by any official confirmation from authorities regarding the exact circumstances of his recruitment or death. This lack of clarity has left the family in deeper distress and has spotlighted what appears to be a disturbing pattern.
This case adds to a growing number of similar allegations where Indian youths, lured by promises of employment or education in Russia, find themselves allegedly coerced into military service in the conflict zone. The incident raises critical questions about:
- The safeguards for Indian students and workers in Russia.
- The mechanisms to verify the legitimacy of overseas opportunities.
- The urgency of diplomatic channels to address such grave violations.
The tragedy of Rakesh Kumar Maurya underscores a horrific exploitation of aspiration, turning a quest for education into a fatal journey to a foreign battlefield. It serves as a grim warning and a call for stringent action to protect Indian citizens abroad from such predatory schemes.
