Final rites of medical student killed in Ukraine held in native village of Karnataka

The final rites of Naveen Shekarappa Gyanagoudar, the medical student who lost his life in Russian shelling in Kharkiv city of Ukraine, were performed in his native village of Chalageri today.

Haveri (Karnataka): The final rites of Naveen Shekarappa Gyanagoudar, the medical student who lost his life in Russian shelling in Kharkiv city of Ukraine, was performed in his native village Chalageri here on Monday morning. His family conducted the rites as per Veerashaiva Lingayat traditions. The mortal remains were kept for public viewing till 2 pm and later handed over to a private medical college. People from surrounding villages had lined up to pay their last respects to Naveen.

Naveen's mortal remains arrived at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru in the early hours on Monday, and was later shifted to his native Chalageri village of Ranebennur taluk in Haveri district in an ambulance. It was later handed over to the SS Hightech Hospital in Davanagere as per the wishes of his family. His family, comprising of his father Shekharappa Gyanagoudar, mother Vijayalakshmi, and brother Harsha, bid him a tearful goodbye. "I have handed over my son's body to the S S Hightech Hospital as I had told before," Naveen's father said while thanking CM Bommai, Prime Minister Modi, MLAs, and ministers who helped him bring back Naveen's dead body.

Several students who returned from war-torn Ukraine also came to pay their homage. Praveen, who came back safely from Ukraine, said that Naveen was a rank holder and guided juniors in Ukraine. "We studied in the same college. Naveen was a gem of a person. He helped many who came from India to settle down in Ukraine. I had been to his room before the war started," he said.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who was present at 3 am on Monday when Naveen's body arrived from Dubai, also visited the native village to offer his condolences to his family. Remembering her son as a selfless person, Naveen's mother Vijayalakshmi said he got killed as he went out to fetch food for his friends. Had he stayed back in the bunker, he would have been alive. To make his death meaningful, the family has decided to donate his body to the medical college, she said. "In his last moments my son's action to venture out was selfless," she reiterated.

Naveen was killed in Russian shelling on March 1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to his father personally and comforted him. The father had asked Prime Minister Modi to bring back all students from Ukraine safely. The government had granted Rs 25 lakh as compensation to Naveen's family besides assurance to help his brother.