ibn sultan
Jammu, April 5: A young man from Jammu, who lost his life in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, was cremated in his native village Pahariwala in the Khour area today, amid an outpouring of grief.
The mortal remains of Sachin Khajuria, son of Banarasi Lal, reached Jammu early in the morning. A funeral procession was taken out from Taleri Pull to his residence, where hundreds of mourners gathered to pay their last respects. Slogans honoring his sacrifice echoed throughout the area.
His last rites were performed at around 11:30 AM at the cremation ground in Pahariwala.
According to reports, Khajuria had died in September last year, but his family was not informed at the time. They came to know about his death only after his remains were brought back to India following extensive diplomatic efforts.
Khajuria had travelled to Russia along with two other youths from Jammu—Sumeet Sharma and Atul—after allegedly being lured by an agent with promises of high-paying jobs. However, they were reportedly forced into the Russian Army and deployed on front-line positions near the Ukraine border.
They were among around 15 youths from across India who were allegedly duped with promises of jobs in bunker construction, including a one-time payment of ₹20 lakh and a monthly salary of ₹2.5 lakh.
After realizing the deception, the youths made desperate appeals to their families for government intervention. While some managed to return safely due to continuous efforts by authorities, others lost their lives in the conflict.
Of the three youths, Atul returned home safely last month, while Sumeet Sharma remains untraceable. Earlier, the mortal remains of another Jammu youth, Maninder Singh from RS Pura, who was similarly deceived, were brought back to his hometown in February this year.
