Kaithal: Congress’ general secretary and Rajya Sabha Member Randeep Singh Surjewala has taken up matters with the foreign minister S Jaishankar seeking immediate safe return of eight youths from Haryana stuck in war between Russia and Ukraine. Eight youth have been as Baldev (32), Rajender(30), Mohit (22), Manjeet (22), Sahil (22), Ravi (24) all residents of Kaithal district, besides two others Mandeep (23) and a resident of village Surewala in Fatehabad district and Harsh (19) from Karnal. Surjewala asked Jaishankar to take up the matter with the Russian counterpart and assign the embassy to provide all the assistance for their safe return in the country.
In his letter to the minister, the lawmaker claimed that due to unemployment and assurance of work opportunities they left home, when they were forced to pay amount between Rs 8 to 10 lakh each for a transportation job in Russia when they decided to go, and later reaching there were forced to join army in Russia and were sent to the war front between Russia and Ukraine after a brief training. It was disclosed to media that a youth Ankit, who had received the money from the boys and was already settled in Russia took them to Moscow on a tourist visa and they were forcibly sent to the war front afterward. Surjewala further said that one of the youth Sahil also received grenade injuries during the war.
Information revealed that their group had been broken up and they were taken to different locations at the war fronts forcibly. Their videos appealing to the government of India to bring them back safely also flooded the Twitter space, Surjewala added and made appeal to the Foreign Minister Jaishankar to take up the matter with the Russian counterpart and assign the embassy to provide all the assistance telling how they were scammed and left to die in the war. Surjewala expressed surprise over Prime Minister Narender Modi and the ruling BJP government Chief Minister in the state taking any action on this highly sensitive matter with the Russian Prime Minister Putin so far.
