Russia not allowing family to bring home Indian national's body, claims Congress leader

Kota: The Russian authorities are not allowing a Rajasthan family to bring home the body of a 45-year-old Indian man who died in that country in July, a Congress leader alleged on Sunday. According to Charmesh Sharma from Bundi, Hitendra Garassia, a resident of Godwa village in Udaipur, had gone to Russia in April this year through a travel agent for employment. On September 17, the passport office in Jaipur on an input from the Indian embassy in Russia informed Garassia’s family that he had died in that country and the police there recovered his body on July 17, he said. Sharma claimed the authorities in Russia said once the investigation into the death is completed, the body could be handed over to them but they can perform a burial in Russia itself. He claimed the authorities refused to grant permission to cremate the body or take it out of Russia. He said he had also sent an online complaint to President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar over the matter. There was no immediate comment from the Ministry of External Affairs.