"Education in India is too costly. Parents must pay crores and crores of rupees to obtain an MBBS degree in this country."
Digital Desk: An Indian student named Naveen,was killed in shelling in Ukraine yesterday, according to the foreign ministry, which asked Russia and Ukraine to arrange safe passage for thousands of nationals caught in the heart of the conflict. Naveen Shekharappa, a 21-year-old medical student from Haveri in Karnataka, was killed when the Russian military blew up a government building on Tuesday. "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," tweeted the External Affairs Ministry. Also Read: Nine year old kid runs away from home, gets onto a plane and travels 2700 km from home, learned everything via internet Naveen was standing in a queue to get food while the missile hit the building and killed him. Pooja Praharaj, a Kharkiv student organiser, talked to NDTV immediately after the student died. "He lived near the Governor's House and was waiting in line for meals. Suddenly, there was an air attack that blew out the Governor's House, killing him" Ms Praharaj said. According to the student coordinator, a Ukrainian woman picked up his phone. "She claimed the owner of this phone is being transported to the morgue while speaking from his phone," she explained. The deceased student's father begged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to return his son's remains to India. "I have begged the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to deliver my son's dead body," Naveen's father told the reporters. "I also suggest that political authorities take this subject seriously, since the situation in Ukraine for Indian people is really awful," he said. When asked why Indian students go to Ukraine for further education, he stated, "Education in India is too costly. Parents must pay crores and crores of rupees to obtain an MBBS degree in this country." Shekarappa, the father of dead Naveen, stated that despite obtaining 97 percent in his MBBS entrance exam in India, his son was unable to obtain a medical seat, pushing him to travel overseas to further his study in Ukraine. Shekharappa, a retired mechanical engineer, expressed regret that caste-based quota and the threat of contributions had driven talented and deserving students out of the country. "Parents must pay crores and crores of rupees to obtain an MBBS degree in this country. In India, even seat allocation is based on caste. My son received a score of 97%" he stated. "Despite receiving a 97 percent on the PUC, my kid was unable to obtain a medical seat in the state. To obtain a medical seat, one must pay crores of rupees, whereas students in other countries receive the same education for less money " Naveen's father bemoaned. A relative, Gangadhar Gyanagoudar, noted that Naveen was a great student from the start, but his family couldn't afford the expense of medical school in India. As a result, he was transferred to Ukraine to study medicine. In an interview with the media, Shekharappa encouraged the Indian government to eliminate the threat of contributions and caste-based reservations in order for talented students to pursue their education in India. He also requested the authorities to do everything possible to return his son's lifeless remains back to India. Moreover, 16000 Indian students are still stranded in the war torn country. On Tuesday, the victim's father said that no one from the Indian Embassy reached out to stranded Indian students in Kharkiv, Ukraine. According to some stranded students, the government must do more to assist them in leaving Ukraine and to avoid the persecution they claim they face at border checkpoints. The students claim they have sent messages to the Indian embassy, the Indian government, and their respective state governments, but no assistance has yet arrived. Now the question is who is to be blamed? The students who ignored the Advisory order or the government, which is lacking behind in providing medical institutions for the country's students so that they don't have to travel abroad to pursue higher education and face such a situation. Also, will the government be capable of bringing back the students safely to their home grounds, or would more Naveens be losing their lives in the war-torn country?Continue Reading
