‘It was Naveen’s concern for us that claimed his life’: Friends remember Indian student killed in Ukraine

On Thursday, a group of 15 students including Sridhar and Vaishyar met the parents of Naveen at his home in Chalageri and take part in the 11th day mourning rituals.

Naveen was a fourth-year medical student at the Kharkiv National Medical University. (Facebook/Thamizhachi Thangapandian)

On March 1, when Naveen SG, a medical student from Karnataka, was killed in Russian shelling in war-torn Ukraine, Amit Vaishyar was hiding metres away in a bunker inside their flat and Suman Sridhar a few kilometres away shepherding a bunch of Indian students in Kharkiv. Naveen’s death shocked Vaishyar and Sridhar, who both hail from the former’s village of Chalageri, 300 kms away from Bengaluru in Karnataka.

“When the incident took place, I was a few kilometres away from the spot, but I wanted to go and see his body. But the Ukrainian authorities warned me that I may not be able to come back alive. I had the responsibility of protecting a number of Indian students who were hiding in university bunkers. Naveen’s body meanwhile was shifted to a hospital and kept in a mortuary,” said Sridhar, a final year student of medicine in Ukraine, who reached India on Wednesday morning.

“I wanted to bring back everyone safe and sound, but I never thought that my own hometown boy would die. After his death, we were all afraid. We had no choice but to start travelling towards the nearest international border without waiting for further help. We went to Kharkiv railway station but we could not get into the train as it was reserved for Ukrainian nationals. We walked for 12 kilometres holding the Indian flag to reach Pisochyn. There were bombings all around and tankers were moving on the same road we were walking. It was a nightmare. These dark moments will stay throughout my entire life,” he added.

Story continues below this ad

On Thursday, a group of 15 students including Sridhar and Vaishyar met the parents of Naveen at his home in Chalageri and take part in the 11th day mourning rituals.

Vaishyar, a fourth-year student of medicine in Ukraine, told indianexpress.com, “Naveen was more than a brother to me. I still remember on February 24, Suman was supposed to celebrate his birthday and Naveen had taken all the responsibility and had booked a lake-side tent. We were supposed to go there but by then curfew was imposed. His death will haunt my entire life,” he said.

He also slammed those who questioned Naveen stepping out of the university in a war-zone. “We were out of food and water. We did not have anything with us. There was no option for us and he went early in the morning to bring food. It was his concern towards us that claimed his life. Usually, two people go to fetch food, but that day, he was alone.”

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram