S Jaishankar said “toughest legal action” will be taken against officers who cheated the students
Thiruvananthapuram:
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar today said “the most severe legal action” will be taken against agents who duped Kerala students into fighting for Russia in the war against Ukraine.
Interacting with the media in Thiruvanthanpuram today, Mr. Jaishankar said, “This is a matter of very, very deep concern for us, of very great concern for us. We called in the Russian ambassador. Our ambassador in Moscow was ordered to go abroad. ministry.”
“It is totally unacceptable that an Indian is taken to a conflict zone and has to work in any way for a conflict, for an army…,” Jaishankar said.
He further assured that efforts are being made to determine how many Indians were stuck in that country and efforts are being made to get them back.
“So we are finding out how many such Indians there are. We are trying to get them back. Even in the last few days I know some people have come back… but it is something that we are taking very seriously and very strongly,” said Mr. Jaishankar.
The Union minister said, “I will tell you that the toughest legal action will be taken in this case. I mean, this is something that is absolutely unacceptable.”
Last month, the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal, said that India is in constant touch with the Russian authorities for the release and discharge of Indian nationals from the Russian army as soon as possible.
Asked for updates on Indians duped by agents and sent to Russia to join the army, Mr Jaiswal said: “As far as Russia is concerned, as I told you earlier, we are in constant touch with the Russian authorities. We have taken this up strongly for them to release and discharge our nationals as soon as possible.”
Last month, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had written a letter to Mr Jaishankar seeking assistance in repatriating three Kerala residents, who were stuck in the forefront of Russia’s fight against Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict.
Vijayan stated that several other youths from different parts of the country are stranded in Russia and are awaiting repatriation. Vijayan urged EAM to take up the matter with the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Notably, at least two Indians have been killed while serving in the Russian army against Ukraine, while around 20 others are said to have been lured into fighting in Russia’s war with Ukraine on the pretext of lucrative jobs.
Recently, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) busted a major human trafficking network running across the country, targeting Indian nationals with the promise of offering lucrative jobs abroad but sending them to the war zone between Russia and Ukraine.
The central agency is conducting simultaneous searches at around 13 locations in Delhi, Trivandrum, Mumbai, Ambala, Chandigarh, Madurai and Chennai.
The CBI stated that these traffickers operated as an organized network and lured Indian nationals through social media channels such as YouTube, etc., and also through their local contacts and agents for high-paying jobs in Russia.
The trafficked Indian nationals were then trained in combat roles and deployed against their will to frontline bases in the Russian-Ukrainian war zone, putting their lives in grave danger. It is certain that some of the victims were also seriously injured in the war zone.
So far, about 35 cases of victims being sent abroad have been identified. The identity of more and more victims of human trafficking is also being established. The investigation is still ongoing.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by WhatsNew2Day staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)