*Family alleges job lure to conflict zone
Govind Sharma
JAMMU, Feb 22: The arrival of the mortal remains of 24-year-old Maninder Singh in his native Gowana village of the RS Pura sector ended a months-long wait for his family but opened a flood of grief, anger and unanswered questions, as the young student who had left for Russia in search of a better future was killed in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
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The coffin reaching home on Saturday marked the tragic conclusion of a journey that began in December 2024 when he travelled abroad on a student visa with the hope of pursuing higher education and supporting his parents financially. For over five months, however, the family had no confirmed information about his fate after contact with him suddenly snapped in August last year.
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His relatives said that after his phone became unreachable following their last conversation on August 20, they repeatedly approached the Indian Embassy in Russia and the Ministry of External Affairs, sending emails and requests to trace him. The uncertainty continued for months until they were informed in early February that he had died on January 28 in eastern Ukraine.
Officials told the family that intense shelling in the area had delayed the recovery of the body for several weeks. When it was eventually retrieved, it was in an advanced state of decomposition and had to be chemically preserved before being placed in a mortuary. The family was asked whether they wanted the last rites to be performed in Russia or the body to be brought back to India.
Choosing to perform the cremation in their ancestral village, they waited for the repatriation process to be completed. The mortal remains were flown to Delhi on Friday and brought to Jammu the next day, where a large number of villagers gathered to bid an emotional farewell, reflecting the deep impact of the tragedy on the entire area.
Family members maintained that Maninder had initially been focused on his studies and part-time work to reduce the financial burden at home. They alleged that he was later persuaded by agents offering lucrative salaries and non-combat roles to join the Russian Army and underwent brief training before being sent to the conflict zone.
While mourning his death, the family also highlighted the trauma of the prolonged silence, the struggle to obtain official confirmation and the anxious wait for his body to return home.
The incident has prompted demands from villagers and community members for a structured mechanism to monitor the safety of Indian nationals in conflict regions and for faster coordination in tracing those who go missing abroad.
Locals said the tragedy had shaken the entire border belt, with many families now worried about the safety of youths who travel overseas for studies or employment. They termed the episode deeply distressing and called for stronger safeguards, awareness among aspiring migrants and firm action against those allegedly misleading young people with false promises.
As the last rites were performed amid an outpouring of emotion, the focus in the village remained on the human cost of the conflict – not only the loss of a young life but also the months of uncertainty his family endured before bringing him home.
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