Gurugram: A young man’s dreams of a better life abroad, in Germany, ended in tragedy on the Russia-Ukraine battlefield. Family members say Karam Chand, a 24-year-old panchayat member from Janedpur village in Haryana’s Kaithal, was duped by an agent who sent him to Russia instead of Germany, and forced him to fight for Russia.
On 6 September, Karam Chand was killed in a blast on the frontlines. His mortal remains arrived at his village Saturday, 43 days after his death. His last rites were performed the same day.
Karam Chand is the second from Kaithal to have lost his life on the battlefront while fighting for the Russian Army in its war against Ukraine. Last year, Ravi Mator, a 24-year-old from Mator village of Kaithal district, died on the battlefront after he and five others from Haryana were sent to Russia and made to join the Russian Army, allegedly by deceit by an agent, Satyawan, who was later arrested by the police.
Speaking to ThePrint, Vijay Kumar, Karam Chand’s cousin, said it was ironic that as a child, Karam Chand wanted to serve in the Indian Army but ended up losing his life on foreign soil, fighting for the Russians.
He said that Karam Chand wanted to settle down abroad and left India in July with the hopes of a job in Germany. Kumar alleged that a travel agent who promised to send Karam Chand to Germany deceived him and instead sent him to Russia, and got him recruited into the Russian Army. He added that the agent charged Rs 8 lakh for sending him to Germany.
The family has now lodged a complaint against the agent.
According to Kumar, the family learned about Karam Chand’s death 13 days later, on 19 September, when another yoing Indian serving in the Russian Army informed them via the Telegram app. The family then reached out to the local administration and the Ministry of External Affairs. After completing a lengthy documentation process, Karam Chand’s mortal remains were brought back to India on 17 October and then to his village.
“When his body arrived in Janedpur on Saturday morning, the entire village was engulfed in grief—with tearful eyes and a heavy silence all around,” said Kumar.
Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Singh Surjewala, two-time MLA from Kaithal, wrote a long post on X, citing Karam Chand’s case and holding the state’s ruling BJP responsible for his death.
आज की इस खबर ने अंतरात्मा को झकझोर दिया।
काश …भाजपा सरकार ये दर्द समझ पाती।
हरियाणा में भाजपा द्वारा फैलाई गई ‘बेरोज़गारी की बीमारी’ से हताश,निराश और त्रस्त हो कर हमारे प्रदेश का युवा विदेश जाकर ‘यातनाओं की यात्रा’ कर रहे हैं।
हरियाणा में बेरोजगारी से परेशान होकर रोजगार के… pic.twitter.com/Y9hsbr70Y2
— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) October 18, 2025
“The ‘disease of unemployment’ spread by the BJP government in Haryana has left our youth frustrated, disheartened, and broken—forcing them to embark on painful journeys abroad,” he wrote. Adding, “Reports of harassment, brutality, and deaths of our youth on foreign soil keep surfacing and shake us all—yet the BJP government in Haryana remains indifferent to this grave issue. The BJP government is responsible for this tragic death.”
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Plea for recognition & aid
Karam Chand is survived by his parents and two sisters, with the elder one married and the younger unmarried. His death has devastated the family and shocked the village, with residents demanding strict action against the agent responsible.
Speaking to the media at the time of cremation Saturday, Karam Chand’s father Deshraj and mother Sunita said their son had always wanted to join the Indian Army and serve the nation. They urged the government to recognise Karam Chand as a martyr since he died in a war. They also sought financial assistance and a government job for their daughter.
His cousin told ThePrint that Karam Chand had been preparing for his younger sister’s wedding, scheduled for February, and the family hoped he would send money from abroad to help with the expenses. “However, neither did Karam Chand get any salary nor could he send any money back home before news of his death arrived,” Kumar said.
As many as 16 Indians recruited in the Russian Army have been reported “missing” by the Russian side, the central government revealed this February in response to a question in the Rajya Sabha.
“As per available information, 18 Indian nationals remain in the Russian armed forces out of which 16 have been reported as missing by the Russian side. The Russian authorities concerned have been requested to provide an update on the remaining Indian nationals in the Russian armed forces, and also ensure their safety, wellbeing and early discharge,” Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh stated in his reply.
The government has also facilitated the return of mortal remains of seven Indian nationals who lost their lives in the conflict; in two other such cases, the mortal remains were cremated in Russia, he added.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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