UDAIPUR: The family members of a man from Kherwada region in Udaipur who died in Russia in July this year have continued their protest in front of the Russian embassy for the fifth consecutive day.
Hitendra Garasia (46), a resident of Kherwara in Udaipur district, had gone to Russia for work and was reportedly found dead in July. The family members have been demanding to return Garasia’s body for cremation in India.
According to Charmesh Sharma, Congress party’s incharge of immigration support, in the latest development, keeping in view the protest during the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to the national capital on December 6, the Russian embassy from Moscow has sent an official letter to the family after 141 days.
In the letter from Roman Babushkin, councillor minister and deputy chief of the Mission of Russian Government to Asha Devi, wife of Hitendra, the Embassy of Russian Federation has expressed deep condolences to the family over the death of Hitendra Garasiya. It also stated that the matter is under the jurisdiction of the embassy of India in Moscow and the Russian Government has no objection in this issue. The family can get in touch with the Indian embassy for the needful and the body will be returned. We sincerely hope that the problem will be resolved at the earliest, stated the letter.
The family members had said that if their demands were not met, they would stage a protest on December 6 during the Russian President’s visit to Delhi.
The wife of the deceased and his two teenaged children had threatened to self-immolate if their demands are not met. Earlier, the Russian agencies had refused to send the body to India and had asked the family to come to Russia and perform a burial instead of cremation.
