In his letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Seechewal expressed grave concern about the safety of the youths, who are facing constant risk of death due to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. He also highlighted the issue of agents coercing Indian citizens into participating in the war and withdrawing their salaries and compensation.
Seechewal’s letter mentions the case of Rakesh Yadav, a native of Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, who recently returned to India after being trapped in Russia. Yadav’s account of the harsh conditions in Russia has added to the urgency among families to seek the return of their loved ones.
Seechewal expressed apprehensions that there may be more Indian youths in Russia whose whereabouts are unknown. He mentioned that Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan stated in Parliament that 19 Indians are still deployed in the Russian Army. Recently, Seechewal visited the MEA office with a hard copy of the letter.
MEA has assured Seechewal that they are giving priority to the matter, and the Indian Embassy is making efforts to bring the youths back.
Seechewal said, “The agents forcibly kept the ATM cards of these men and withdrew their salaries and compensation amounts. In one case, Rs 45 lakh was withdrawn from Rakesh’s account. Furthermore, the death of one man remained unreported to his family since June this year. The Government of India is making continuous efforts to bring these youths back, and the Indian Embassy has assured us that they have given priority to the matter.”
The 10 youths mentioned in Seechewal’s letter include Mandeep Singh from Goraya in Jalandhar, Punjab, and 9 individuals from Uttar Pradesh: Vinod Yadav from Mau, and Kanhaiya Yadav, Dheerendra Kumar, Ajaharuddin, Humeshwar Prasad, Deepak, Yogendra Yadav, Ramchandar, and Arvind Kumar from Azamgarh.
