As Modi raises Indian youths’ induction in the Russian army with Putin, families in Haryana hope to see their sons soon

Harsh’s family claims he went to Moscow as a tourist, while Abhishek’s family says he went to “explore foreign dreams.”

“It has been seven months since Harsh left home to visit Russia as a tourist. He boarded the flight from IGI Airport, New Delhi. He met a few others from Punjab on the same flight. He had a two-month-long tourist visa and was expected to come back home within a few days. In Moscow, he met a few other Indians, and all of them decided to go to Belarus. They were around six or seven of them. They came into contact with a travel agent who told them he could take them to Belarus. He did not tell them that they required a separate visa for that. They were made to board a taxi and were taken to Belarus. They argued with the taxi driver, who demanded more money than what was agreed upon. When they refused, he informed the Russian police. The Russian police then handed them over to the Russian army. They were given two options: either face 10 years of imprisonment or work in the Russian army in their ongoing battle against Ukraine for one year. They were forcibly made to sign a one-year contract in Russian. We were devastated when we got to know that. For nearly a week, we could not get in touch with Harsh,” Harsh’s brother Sahil told The Indian Express.

“They were given 10-15 days of weapon training during which they were not even given adequate diet. For several weeks, Harsh and others like him have been shifted from one place to another in the war zone. They were made to live in bunkers,” Sahil added.

But Harsh and others are no longer in the war zone. “I spoke with Harsh at about 2:30 pm today. They were initially kept in the forward areas in the war zone. But for the last few weeks, Harsh and others have been brought back to a normal zone. I don’t exactly know his current location. But, the [Russian army] have given each one of them a credit card that they use to buy their groceries and other necessary items for daily use. I hope that he comes back home soon,” Sahil added.

Harsh’s father, Suresh Kumar, said, “We got to know today that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has raised this issue with the Russian president. We don’t know how many days it will take for Harsh to get back home. It may take one week or even more. We hope that he comes back soon. I spoke with Harsh last night. He is also terrified and wants to come back home.”

Harsh’s family runs a small confectionary shop in the village to earn their livelihood.

“He had completed his 10+2 and wanted to go to Russia as a tourist with his friends. We spent around Rs. 2.5 lakh and he got his tourist visa through a travel agent. But, rather than coming back home, he got stuck there only. We had been appealing to the Government of India and the state government of Haryana to help us get our son back,” Harsh’s mother, Suman, told The Indian Express.

A similar story is shared by Abhishek Kumar’s family, who are waiting for him to return home.

“Abhishek completed his 10+2 and wanted to explore his foreign dreams. We got him a tourist visa. He was supposed to go to Portugal. He left here on January 18 and landed in Russia. He got in touch with a few others like him, and all of them were in a taxi when they were caught by the police there. Their documents were lying in their room where they were staying, but they were not heard. They were forcibly made to sign a one-year contract and made to fight for the Russian army. He is not in the war zone anymore, and whenever he can, he calls us. Abhishek’s father, Satish Kumar, and mother, Kaushalya, are in a state of shock and have appealed to the government to bring back their son. We shall be relieved if our child comes back home,” Abhishek’s uncle, Sunil Kumar, told The Indian Express.