Indian student killed in Kharkiv identified as Naveen Shekharappa from Karnataka's Haveri district

Bengaluru: Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) Commissioner Dr. Manoj Rajan on Tuesday said that the Indian student, who lost his life in Kharkiv this morning because of shelling in the area, has been identified as Naveen Shekharappa from Chalageri village of Haveri district in Karnataka.

"We have confirmed from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) the unfortunate demise of Naveen Shekharappa in Ukraine. He was from Chalageri, Haveri. He had left for a nearby store to buy something. Later his friend got a call from a local official that he (Naveen) has died," said Karnataka SDMA. Earlier today, MEA in a statement said that one Indian student has lost his life in Kharkiv this morning because of shelling in the area\

Taking to Twitter, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi shared the information and expressed condolences to the family.
"With profound sorrow, we confirm that an Indian student lost his life in shelling in Kharkiv this morning. The Ministry is in touch with his family. We convey our deepest condolences to the family," he wrote in the tweet.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a high-level meeting on Monday evening over the Ukraine crisis said that the entire government machinery is working round the clock to ensure that all Indians there are safe and secure, said Bagchi.

Government sources on Monday said that the 'Special Envoys' including Union Ministers Hardeep Singh Puri, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Kiren Rijiju, and Gen (Retd) VK Singh will travel to neighboring countries of Ukraine to coordinate evacuations of stranded Indians amid ongoing Russian military operations.

On February 24, the Prime Minister chaired a Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting in New Delhi on the Ukraine crisis.
The union government has launched "Operation Ganga" to bring back stranded students and Indian citizens from the conflict-torn Ukraine. (ANI)