As news spread of the student from Karnataka, 21-year-old Naveen Shekharappa Gyanagoudar, having been killed in a brutal missile attack by Russia on Kharkiv, the state government stepped up its efforts to help the Central government in its rescue attempts.
The state government has appointed Manoj Rajan as a nodal officer to work with the Indian Embassy in Ukraine and the Ministry of External Affairs to help evacuate Kannada Indians still trapped in Ukraine.
It has created a registration portal to streamline the evacuation process of Kannadiga students.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai expressed his condolences to the aggrieved family of the young student who became an unfortunate casualty of the Russian invasion. "Shocked on death of Naveen Gyanagoudar, student from Karnataka, in bomb shelling in Ukraine. My deep condolences to the family. May his soul rest in peace. We are constantly in touch with MEA and will make all efforts to bring back his mortal remains," he posted on the microblogging website Koo.
Meanwhile, the government has instructed the Indian ambassadors posted in Russia and Ukraine to provide a "safe passage" to the Indians on a war footing, especially in the hot spots.
As of March 6, over 200 students from Karnataka were in Ukraine, according to nodal officer Manoj Rajan, the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority Commissioner.
According to a recent update, four students of Dakshina Kannada reached Mangaluru on March 7.