Bommai thanks Modi for retrieving K'taka student's body from Ukraine

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai rang Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday and thanked him for his efforts in retrieving the mortal remains of Naveen Gyanagoudar, the medical student from Haveri who was killed in Ukraine earlier this month.

Bommai dialled Modi after returning to Bengaluru from Chalageri, Naveen’s native village in Ranebennur taluk of the Haveri district. Bommai and Modi spoke for about three minutes, the chief minister’s office said. Bommai thanked Modi for “extraordinary diplomacy” in accomplishing the task of bringing back Naveen’s body.

“You played a major role in getting Naveen's mortal remains back to India. His parents were eager to see the face of their son at least one last time. You have fulfilled their emotional wish. I am thanking you on behalf of the people of Karnataka. It was really a herculean task. It is not easy to bring the dead body from the war zone,” Bommai told Modi, according to the CMO.

Also Read — Naveen's remains kept for public viewing in Chalageri, CM to reach village shortly

Earlier in the day, Bommai received the body of the 21-year old at Kempegowda International Airport on Monday morning. He also visited Chalageri to offer condolences. Naveen died due to Russian shelling at Kharkiv in Ukraine. He had stepped out from his bunker to exchange currency and buy food.

The Ministry of External Affairs appointed a funeral agent to take possession of Naveen’s body, which was transported to Warsaw (Poland) after the necessary paperwork. The body was embalmed and kept in a mortuary.

Speaking to reporters at the Bengaluru airport earlier in the day, Bommai said: “[Naveen’s] mother was crying for the body to come. Initially, we were also sceptical about the possibility of bringing the body from the war zone. It seemed impossible because most of the time we can't get the bodies of our soldiers from war zones. Here, getting a citizen's body is just a miracle."

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