Youth from Haryana and Punjab Tricked into Russian Army: Families Crying for Help

In a shocking turn of events, many young men from Punjab and Haryana in India have ended up in the Russian Army without wanting to be there. These men, looking for better jobs and a chance to live abroad, were tricked by fake promises. Now, they're caught in a dangerous situation, and their families are begging for help to bring them home. 

How It All Started 

Take Harsh Kumar, for example. He's a 23-year-old from Karnal, Haryana. Harsh went to Russia on December 23, 2023, thinking he was just going on a trip. He wanted to travel a bit so it would be easier to get a visa for Australia later. But things went very wrong. 

Harsh and some other young men he met were left alone near the border of Belarus. They got arrested for not having the right papers. Then, they were given a terrible choice: go to jail for ten years or join the Russian Army. Not knowing what else to do, they signed papers they couldn't even read because they were in Russian. 

The Ugly Truth Comes Out 

These young men thought they would get easy jobs in the army, like cooking or driving. But that's not what happened. They were given guns and sent to fight in the war against Ukraine. Some of them have already died or been badly hurt. Tejpal Singh, who was 30 and from Amritsar, is one of the unlucky ones. His wife, Parminder Kaur, said they last talked on March 3, 2024. In June, she found out he had died back in March. It's a heartbreaking story that's happening to many families. 

Families Cry for Help

The families of these trapped young men are very scared and sad. They're asking the Indian government to do more to help. Balwinder Singh, whose son Gagandeep is stuck in Russia, said, "We're glad the Prime Minister talked about this, but our boys still aren't home. We need more help."

Why This Happened 

There's a big problem behind all of this. Many young people in Punjab and Haryana can't find jobs at home. Professor Varinder Sharma explains that going abroad to work is seen as a big success in these areas. When it got harder to go to places like Canada, these young men became easy targets for tricksters promising jobs in Russia. 

What's Being Done

The Indian government knows about this problem. They say they're talking to Russia to try and get these men back. The police have also arrested some of the people who tricked these young men. But for the worried families, things aren't moving fast enough. 

Hope for the Future

This sad story teaches us some important lessons. Young people need to be very careful about job offers that sound too good to be true, especially if they involve going to another country. The government also needs to do more to stop these kinds of tricks and to help create more jobs at home.

For now, many families in Punjab and Haryana are waiting and hoping. They want nothing more than to see their sons come home safe and sound. It's a difficult time, but they're not giving up hope that help will come soon.