Bivek Mathur
JAMMU, Apr 5: A Jammu youth, who died in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, was cremated in his native village Pahariwala in Khour area here today amid an outpouring of grief.
The mortal remains of Sachin Khajuria, son of Banarasi Lal of Pahariwala, Khour, reached Jammu early in the morning and were later taken in the form of a procession from the Taleri Pull area to his residence, where hundreds of mourners gathered to bid a final farewell. Slogans hailing the martyrdom of the local youth echoed through the area.
His last rites were performed at around 11:30 AM at the crematorium in Pahariwala.
Sachin Khajuria had reportedly died in September last year, but his family was not informed about his demise at the time. They came to know only after his mortal remains were brought back to India following hectic diplomatic efforts.
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Khajuria, along with two other Jammu youths-Sumeet Sharma from Kahnachak and Atul from Bawe Talab, Mishriwala-was allegedly lured to Russia on the promise of lucrative jobs and later forced into the Russian Army, where they were deployed at front-line positions along the Ukraine border after travelling abroad together on student visas.
They were among 15 other youths from across the country, who were allegedly duped by an agent named Anastiya, who promised them jobs in bunker construction near the Ukrainian border with an assured one-time payment of Rs 20 lakh and a monthly salary of Rs 2.5 lakh.
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After realizing they had been deceitfully pushed into front-line duties, these youths made desperate calls to their families seeking Government intervention.
While some of them managed to return home safely with the constant efforts of the Government, others lost their lives in the conflict.
Of the three Jammu youths-Sumeet Sharma, Atul, and Sachin Khajuria- who travelled abroad together, Atul returned home safely last month, as per his relatives and police, while the whereabouts of Sumeet remain unknown.
The mortal remains of another Jammu youth, Maninder Singh of Gowana, RS Pura, who had left for Russia in December 2024 on a student visa and was similarly tricked into joining the Russian Army, had also reached his hometown in February this year.
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