Gujarat Man Who Worked as Helper in Russia Killed in Missile Strike, Family Seeks Return of Body

Parents and kin of Gujarat resident Hemil Mangukiya will hold a condolence meeting on Monday but they have not yet received the body of Hemil who died in a missile strike in Russia on February 21, according to a report by the Indian Express.

The 23-year-old hails from Anandnagar Wadi in Varachha, Surat, and left his family in December 2023 after signing up to become a helper for the Russian army. His father told the newspaper that Hemil spoke to them last Tuesday (February 20). He died in the missile strike a day later.

Meanwhile, the external affairs ministry in a press release said reports of Indians seeking help regarding discharge from the Russian army are inaccurate.

“We have seen some inaccurate reports in the media regarding Indians with the Russian army seeking help for discharge. Each and every such case brought to the attention of the Indian Embassy in Moscow has been strongly taken up with the Russian authorities and those brought to the attention of the Ministry have been taken up with the Russian Embassy in New Delhi. Several Indians have already been discharged as a result,” the MEA said in a press release Monday.

“We remain committed, as a matter of top priority, to actively pursuing with the Russian authorities all the relevant cases of Indian nationals for an early discharge from the Russian army,” the MEA further added.

However, Hemil’s father Ashwin Mangukiya, who works in an embroidery unit, while speaking to the Indian Express requested the Indian government to speak with Russian authorities to ensure the return of the body of his son.

“He died on 21st February. We don’t even know where his body is and neither do we have any contact details of others to whom we can reach out to. We are helpless,” Ashwin Mangukiya was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.

Ashwin said that Hemil never revealed the exact nature of his job and they knew he worked as a “helper” in Russia. They found later that Hemil was “inducted into the war zone” on the Ukraine border.

They said that a person who identified himself as Imran, a resident of Hyderabad, whose brother was also with Hemil, told them on Friday that he died in a missile attack in the war zone, according to the newspaper.