S Jaishankar says ‘severest legal action’ will be taken against agents cheating students
Trivandrum:
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar today said “sternest legal action” will be taken against agents who deceived Kerala students into fighting for Russia in its war with Ukraine.
While interacting with media persons in Thiruvananthapuram today, Jaishankar said: “This is an issue that we feel very, very deeply, very strongly. We have summoned the Russian ambassador. Our ambassador in Moscow has been directed to the foreign ministry. “department. “
“It is completely unacceptable for any Indian to be taken to a conflict zone and forced in any way to work for the conflict, for the military,” Jaishankar said.
He further assured that efforts are being made to find out how many Indians are stranded in the country and efforts are being made to bring them back.
“So we are finding out how many of these Indians there are. We are trying to get them back. Even in the last few days, I know some have come back… but we are taking this very seriously and strongly ,” Mr. Jaishankar said.
“I’m telling you, in this case, we will take the most severe legal action possible. I mean, this is absolutely unacceptable,” the federal minister said.
Last month, official spokesperson of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs Randhir Jaiswal said that India was in constant contact with the Russian authorities for the early release of Indian citizens and demobilization from the Russian army.
Asked for an update on the situation of Indians who were deceived by agents and sent to Russia to join the army, Mr Jaiswal said: “Regarding Russia, as I told you earlier, we are in constant contact with the Russian authorities. We have strongly accepted this incident.” They hope that our nationals will be released and discharged from hospital as soon as possible. “
Last month, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to Jaishankar seeking assistance in repatriating three Kerala residents trapped in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine’s frontline.
Vijayan said several other young people from across the country were stranded in Russia and were awaiting repatriation, and he urged EAM to discuss the matter with the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).
Notably, at least two Indians died while serving in the Russian army against Ukraine, and around 20 Indians were allegedly deceived into joining Russia’s war with Ukraine on the pretext of high-paying jobs.
Recently, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) busted a major human trafficking network targeting Indian nationals across the country, promising lucrative jobs abroad but allegedly sending them to the Russian-Ukrainian war zone.
The central agency is conducting simultaneous searches at around 13 locations in Delhi, Thiruvananthapuram, Mumbai, Ambala, Chandigarh, Madurai and Chennai.
The CBI said the traffickers had been operating as an organized network to lure Indian nationals for well-paying jobs through social media channels such as YouTube and through their local contacts and agents in Russia.
Since then, the trafficked Indian citizens have received combat training against their will and been deployed to frontline bases in the Russian-Ukrainian theater, putting their lives in serious danger. It is understood that some of the victims were also seriously injured in the war zone.
To date, some 35 cases have been identified in which victims were sent abroad. Additional trafficking victims are also being identified. The investigation is ongoing.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
