The insensitive comments come only days after Union minister Pralhad Joshi said that 90 per cent of students studying medicine abroad fail to clear NEET
Relatives and friends gather near a garlanded photo of Naveen Shekharappa, to mourn his demise outside his residence at Chalageri village, in Haveri. PTI
Arvind Bellad, the BJP MLA representing the Hubli-Dharwad constituency in Karnataka, has said “… more space is needed to bring a dead body on a flight. In the place required for a dead body, eight to ten persons can be accommodated and brought back.”
The insensitive comments come only days after Union minister Pralhad Joshi said that 90 per cent of students studying medicine abroad fail to clear NEET.
Here’s what we know about the issue:
The issue
Bellad, while speaking to reporters in Dharwad on Thursday, said a coffin in a plane occupies space that could otherwise be used to bring back eight to 10 students stranded in Ukraine.
He said, “There is definitely an effort by the government… There is a war going on there. Amid that, an effort will be made and if possible, the body will be returned. Bringing those who are alive is difficult, so bringing a dead body back would be even more difficult. More space is needed to bring a dead body on the flight. In the place required for a dead body, eight persons could be accommodated and brought back,” according to Hindustan Times.
Why
He was responding to questions on the uncertainty over when Naveen Shekharappa Gyanagowda‘s body would be brought back to Haveri, his hometown.
Naveen Shekharappa Gyanagowda
Twenty-one-year-old Naveen was a fourth-year student of forensic science at Kharkiv National Medical University who lost his life in a bomb attack in Kharkiv. He was standing in a queue to buy groceries at a supermarket in the city when Russian shelling began in the city on the morning of 1 March.
Reaction
According to the Hindustan Times, BJP spokesperson Ganesh Karnik said the MLA made the statement in his personal capacity and it was not the party’s stand. “We won’t condemn it, because it is not the party’s stand and it is his personal opinion. Part our approach is to help the families of those affected by this war at their best. We are with the families. What he said is his stand,” Karnik said.
Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala called the comments insensitive and cruel. He tweeted:
It is absolutely insensitive for the legislator to say this. It has become habitual for BJP MPs and MLAs to make such insensitive remarks,” said senior Congress leader Priyank Kharge, according to Hindustan Times.
Naveen’s uncle Sadandand said, “It is important to bring back those who are alive. But the poor parents have lost their son. They could not see him alive but at least after he is dead, won’t they have the desire to see his body. Not that one has to be left out for another. If they (government) make up their mind, then both (dead and alive) can be brought back,” Hindustan Times reported.
Earlier, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has stated that he has appealed to the external affairs ministry on the recovery of the body in two or three days if it is not possible immediately. However, according to Business Standard, Harsha, Naveen’s brother, said on Wednesday, “No one is confirming whether the body will be brought back. His body should be brought back to us. His friends are coming back alive and we are coping with the news of death,” he said.
India has so far evacuated 17,000 students and efforts are on to bring back the remaining stranded students from Ukraine.
Russia on 24 February invaded Ukraine, calling it a “special military operation” aimed at dislodging “neo-Nazis” ruling the country. It has also cited threats emanating from Ukraine as a reason for attacking the country. The latter, however, has denied that it poses a threat to Russia.
With input from agencies
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