Monthly Archives: October 2022

219 Indians, mostly from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, killed

The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Centre to appoint a nodal officer in the Ministry of External Affairs to coordinate with the families of Indians who died, went missing or suffered injuries while fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war.

“The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) shall notify an official as the nodal officer whose details and contact number should be shared with the family members of Indian nationals who had gone to Russia… and died or injured,” a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said.

The Bench, which also included Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana, asked the MEA to arrange for the DNA tests of family members of the dead and upon matching, ensure handing over of the mortal remains.

It asked the MEA to ensure that bereaved families were provided details of the documents needed for claiming compensation from the Russian government and were given all relevant information and updates in vernacular language. The Bench also asked the MEA to deal expeditiously with the cases pertaining to handing over the mortal remains to the families for conducting last rites.

More than 200 people, mostly hailing from Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, went to Russia during 2024-25 for working in different sectors, including hospitality. They were duped by travel agents and their passport and other documents were seized on reaching Russia. They were then enrolled in the Russian army, only to be sent to war zones, the Bench noted.

According to the latest information, 219 Indians fought in the war and 51 of them were reported as dead or missing, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati said, adding the mortal remains of 29 of them had been brought back.

The Centre had earlier said sustained diplomatic engagement with the Russian Federation had led to the release of 139 Indians from their military contracts.

Friday’s order came on a petition seeking return of mortal remains of those killed, compensation for the affected families and a coordinated mechanism to handle the related issues after the Bench heard the petitioner’s counsel and Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati for the Centre.

The Bench directed the National Legal Services Authority and state legal services to extend assistance to the families in securing the mortal remains of their relatives and pursuing compensation claims. It also asked the Centre to ensure that families got the receipt and other information related to compensation and delivery of mortal remains.

Bringing pride to the nation, Seema Kaliramana, a PhD scholar from the Department of Physical Education at Chaudhary Bansi Lal University (CBLU), Bhiwani (Haryana), secured a bronze medal in the women’s discus throw at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow with a best throw of 58.65 metres. In recognition of her achievement, the university has announced a cash reward of Rs 1 lakh under its sports promotion policy.

In a statement, the university stated that Seema’s accomplishment reflects years of perseverance and unwavering commitment. She began her sporting journey as a boxer before switching to discus throw—a decision that transformed her career. Her dedication remained unshaken even after her marriage in 2019, as she resumed training the very next day despite family celebrations. During the COVID-19 lockdown, when sporting activities came to a standstill, she continued her fitness and technical training using whatever resources were available, without missing a single day of practice. 

Seema’s husband is also her coach

Balancing motherhood, doctoral research and elite-level sports, Seema continued to pursue excellence with the steadfast support of her husband, Ravinder, who is also her coach. Their shared commitment has culminated in an international podium finish, making her journey an inspiration for aspiring athletes.

Congratulating the athlete, CBLU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Deepti Dharmani described the medal as a matter of immense pride for the university, Haryana and the country. She said: “Seema’s success exemplifies how determination, disciplined training and academic pursuit can go hand in hand.”

The Vice-Chancellor reaffirmed the university’s commitment to nurturing sporting talent alongside academic excellence and expressed confidence that Seema would continue to bring greater honours to India in future international competitions.

Seema’s bronze medal is not merely a sporting achievement but a testament to resilience, discipline and the ability to overcome personal and professional challenges in pursuit of excellence.

Commonwealth Games: Neeraj Chopra wins

Neeraj Chopra in action during the men’s javelin throw final. Image credit/Reuters

Indian javelin throw superstar Neeraj Chopra was not at his best under testing conditions but still delivered a silver medal while Yashvir Singh fetched a surprise bronze with his last throw in the Commonwealth Games here on Friday. 

The 28-year-old Tokyo Olympics champion produced a season’s best throw of 85.83m in his second attempt, which was good enough for a second place finish. His effort on Friday was just a shade better than the 85.69m he had come up while finishing fourth at the Doha Diamond League on June 19, his only other event this season.

The 24-year-old Yashvir on his debut at Games stunned one and all with a personal best 85.41m throw in his sixth and final attempt as Indians finish 2-3 on the podium. His earlier personal best was 83.72m. He was at seventh spot after the penultimate round with his third attempt measuring 81.33m before producing a memorable 85.41m throw to join Chopra on the podium. 

Sri Lankan star Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage won the gold as expected with a best throw of 89.75m which he recorded in his second attempt.

The near-90m throw was noteworthy as the athletes were competing under cold and windy conditions. He is the lone javelin thrower this season to have breached the 90m mark. He has a personal and season best throw of 92.62m which he had recorded while winning the Rome Diamond League title in June.

Chopra had returned from a lower back injury that has troubled him since September last year. The injury delayed his return until the Diamond League in Doha. It was his second Commonwealth Games, having won a gold in the 2018 edition in Gold Coast.

He indicated that he was still not at his full fitness but slowly getting there.

“I can’t say fitness is like before. But I’m getting there slowly. There is still time for the Asian Games. I will compete in Diamond League before that. There will be more improvement. Will improve slowly,” Chopra said after his event.

Chopra said his comeback from injury has been satisfactory.

“Although we always want the national anthem to play but I did my season best and comeback is going okay, there are other competitions as well. I am happy,” he said.

“The weather was better than yesterday. It was good in the staring but later it became cold and there was wind.

“I also had a one go throw only, I thought it will go further but it didn’t fly. I thought I could have pushed myself further. I’m trying to get into my rhythm. I am not able to do that well in these conditions, I like hot weather … (I’m) Indian blood.” For Yashvir, sharing the podium with Chopra was a happy moment for him. 

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“I am happy that I could do my personal best and also get a medal in such conditions,” he said.

The third Indian in the fray, Rohit Yadav finished seventh with a best throw of 81.56m.

Interestingly, athletes from the Indian subcontinent swept all the men’s javelin throw medals in the Games.

However, Pakistan’s defending champion and reigning Olympic gold medallist was eliminated after three rounds with a best distance of 77.41m.

Reigning world champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago finished sixth with 82.55m.

Chopra opened with a 80.97m before his second round throw of 85.83m which was his best of the day. His third and fourth attempts measured 81.29m and 80.73m respectively while his last two throws were fouls.

He led the 12-athlete field briefly but Pathirage sent his spear to 89.75m, just one-fourth of a metre short of the coveted 90m mark, in his second attempt to snatch the lead, which he held till the end. Ironically, all of his five other attempts were fouls. 

The 23-year-old has been in tremendous form, as he has won title seven times out of eight competitions he participated so far in the season. He has won the Diamond League titles in Doha and Rome and finished second in Rabat, Morocco.