Promised A Job And Sent To Russia-Ukraine War, Bikaner Youth Returns Home In A Coffin

Bikaner: Arjansar village of Bikaner district of Rajasthan is plunged into sorrow over the arrival of Ajay Godara, a son of the soil, who had died in Russia-Ukraine war zone.

One year after he left his native village, Godara's mortal remains first arrived at the Delhi International Airport on Wednesday before the coffin was carried to his village by his family members for the last rites.

The body of another youth from Uttarakhand was also brought to India along with the deceased Rajasthan native. According to his family members, Ajay went to Russia on a student visa on November 28, 2024. There, he met a woman who lured him with the promise of a job in the Russian army's cooking department with a salary of approximately Rs two lakh per month.

Ajay and several other young men were lured by similar promise, but after reaching Russia, they were given army uniforms and sent directly to the battlefield without any military training.

Ajay last spoke to his family on September 22. During the conversation, he informed them via phone and video that he was being forcibly sent to the Russia-Ukraine war with weapons. In the video, Ajay said that he was going to join war and that if they didn't hear him thereafter, they should assume he was dead. This video went viral on social media, shocking the entire region.

Soon after the video surfaced, Ajay's family members appealed to the government for help. The family went to Delhi to meet Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and stayed at his residence for about five days.

Meghwal spoke to the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and requested him to take steps to ensure Ajay's safety. The family members during their stay in Delhi received the news of Ajay's death on December 10. On Wednesday morning, when the body arrived in India, the family took it to Arjansar village in Bikaner.

However, it is still unclear on which day and under what circumstances Ajay died. Family members said his body is in such a condition that they were not even allowed to see it properly. His face was slightly uncovered before being immediately covered again, leading to the suspicion that the body is in a bad shape.

Ajay's neighbour Shivratan Sharma, said that Ajay had gone to Russia last November for his studies. He was then allegedly forcibly taken to the war zone. On December 3, family members received the news of his death from the embassy.

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