The mortal remains of Indian student Naveen Shekharappa Gyanagoudar, who was killed during shelling in Ukraine on March 1, will arrive at the Bengaluru airport on March 21, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Friday, March 18. Addressing a press conference on an unrelated matter, CM Bommai also mentioned that Naveen’s body will be brought to Bengaluru early morning on Sunday, March 20, at 3 am. However, he later made a correction in a tweet and said that the mortal remains will arrive on Monday, March 21.
On March 1, 21-year-old Naveen, a student from Chalageri village in Karnataka, had stepped out of the bunker he had taken shelter in, to go to a nearby supermarket to buy food. He was standing in a queue at the supermarket in Kharkiv when he was killed in heavy shelling.
Earlier on March 13, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had directed authorities to make all possible efforts to bring back the mortal remains of Naveen. Karnataka CM Bommai had also said previously on March 5 that a ceasefire announcement by Russia has raised hopes of bringing back Naveen’s body to India. Bommai visited Naveen’s family at his village in Haveri district. Naveen, a medical student, was the first Indian citizen to die in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
"ಇತ್ತೀಚೆಗೆ ಉಕ್ರೇನ್ ನಲ್ಲಿ ರಷ್ಯಾ ದಾಳಿ ಸಂದರ್ಭದಲ್ಲಿ ಮೃತ ಪಟ್ಟ ಹಾವೇರಿ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯ ಯುವಕ ನವೀನ್ ಗ್ಯಾನಗೌಡರ್ ಅವರ ಪಾರ್ಥಿವ ಶರೀರ ದಿ. 21-3-2022, ಸೋಮವಾರ ಬೆಳಗಿನ ಜಾವ 3 ಗಂಟೆಗೆ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿಗೆ ಆಗಮಿಸಲಿದೆ" : ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿ @BSBommai
— CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) March 18, 2022
The Chief Minister visited his family and paid his respects to Naveen. He also handed over a cheque of Rs 25 lakh to Naveen's father. Bommai had said at the time that he was in constant touch with the Ministry of External Affairs and authorities in Delhi as well as the Ukrainian ambassador. “I have been told that his body has been embalmed and kept in a mortuary. But taking it out of the country was difficult because of the fighting. However, with the ceasefire announcement, it may be possible to get his body back. I will follow up on the issue," the Chief Minister had said.