Tejpal Singh (29), one of the two Indians recruited by the Russian Army, who was recently killed in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, had last spoken with his family on March 3, a relative said.
The identity of the other Indian recruit, also deceased, is yet to be known. Russian authorities are yet to hand over the bodies to the Indian Embassy officials in Moscow, a government source said.
India took a stern view of the Russian Army’s continued recruitment of Indian nationals for the conflict, saying it was not in “consonance” with the India-Russia partnership. Announcing the death of the two nationals, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the matter had been taken up both with the Kremlin in Moscow and with the Russian Ambassador in Delhi directly, calling for the “early release and return” of all Indians in the Russian Army.
“We have expressly told Russian officials that no matter how these Indians have reached the war front and under what circumstances, they should be returned,” Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra told journalists when asked about the latest deaths, adding that India was also trying to halt all illegal recruitment by middlemen in India, who are taking Indians to Russia for jobs with the Russian Army.
In a particularly strong statement on Wednesday, the MEA had said that India has also demanded a “verified stop” to any further recruitment of Indian nationals by the Russian Army. “Such activities would not be in consonance with our partnership,” the MEA said in the statement, indicating that bilateral ties were under a strain over the continued deployment of Indians at the Russia-Ukraine warfront.
Singh, a resident of Amritsar in Punjab, had left India on December 20, 2023. He first went to Thailand, and travelled to Russia on a tourist visa from there.
“He joined the Russian Army and was in regular touch with us. There was no problem. He last spoke with his wife on March 3. After that he has been incommunicado. On June 9, his uncle received a call from an acquaintance that Tejpal is dead,” Harjinder Singh, Tejpal Singh’s brother-in-law, said.
Tejpal Singh is survived by his father, wife, and two children — a five-year-old son and a two-year-old daughter.
“He told his wife that he was going for training. We are yet to get a confirmation about his death from official channels,” the relative said.
Tejpal Singh aspired to join the Indian Army but after he failed at his attempts, he decided to go abroad to make more money, another relative said.
“We are told that he died on March 12 but we did not hear anything till June 9 when the call came. There has been no response by the Indian Embassy to our calls and mails,” the relative said.
At least two Indians are known to have been killed in the Russia-Ukraine war zone so far. Ashvinbhai Mangukiya (23), a resident of Surat in Gujarat, and Mohammad Asfan (31) from Hyderabad, Telangana, who were hired as helpers for the Russian Army but were forced to participate in the ongoing war, were killed on January 27 and February 21, respectively. Their bodies were, however, brought back to India on March 16.
The Hindu reported first on February 20 that at least three Indians who were hired as security helpers by Russia were forced to fight alongside that country’s forces on the Russia-Ukraine border, and there are around 100 Indians who are said to have been hired in the past one year. They were promised a salary of ₹1.5 lakh-₹2 lakh per month, and the option to choose Russian citizenship after a year.
At least 30 Indians have contacted the MEA and the Indian Embassy in Moscow, seeking help to return.
Read | Indians hired as ‘helpers’ forced to fight in Russia’s war
The government source said that the two men killed recently were not among the 30 Indians who had approached them for help.
“The Russians have confirmed the deaths but they are yet to provide any information on where the bodies are. We have been told that the bodies will be handed over at Rostov-on-Don (in southern Russia),” the source said.
Mohammad Mustafa, brother of Sameer Ahmad from Karnataka, among the 30 Indians who have sought help, told The Hindu that they were yet to see any concrete steps taken by the government.
“My brother is still stuck at the Ukraine border; he is living like a prisoner for the past four months. We are able to speak with him now and then. All we are told by the Embassy officials is that repatriation is under process. Is India that weak that the Russians are not paying heed to us?” Mr. Mustafa said.
