The body of a 22-year-old Rajasthan MBBS student studying in Russia was recovered this week from a dam near Ufa – about 1,151 km east of Moscow – 19 days after he went missing, raising suspicions of foul play.
Ajit, son of Roop Singh Chaudhary, had been pursuing medical studies at Bashkir State Medical University since 2023. According to reports, he was last seen leaving his hostel around 11 a.m. on October 19 to buy milk, telling others he would return in half an hour. Despite extensive efforts, no trace of him was found until now.
The body was found on November 6, and the college and the Ministry of External Affairs informed the family, Ajit’s uncle Rajendra Singh told The Indian Express.
The family now waits for a Russian medical board to conduct an autopsy – an exercise that’s expected to take 2-3 days.
“We are now waiting for more information. We don’t know when the postmortem will be conducted or when we’ll get our child’s body back. His parents, who sold three bighas of land to send him to Russia, are heartbroken,” he said,
Alwar Saras Dairy Chairman Nitin Sagwan, who accompanied the family to meet Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, said Chaudhary’s body was found in a dam adjacent to the White River and was identified by other Indian students studying with him.
“The family has been told that the Ministry of External Affairs is now coordinating with the Indian Embassy in Russia and the Russian administration to expedite the process of repatriating his remains,” Sagwan said, adding that the ministry had spoken with officials at the Russian Embassy.
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Former Union Minister and Congress leader Jitendra Singh ‘Alwar’ sought the Centre’s intervention to bring the body back and demanded a probe.
“The news of Ajit’s body being found in the river today is deeply shocking. This is a moment of great grief for the Alwar family; we have lost a promising child under suspicious circumstances,” he said.
He further said: “The Government of India and the Minister of External Affairs @DrSJaishankar are requested to bring Ajit’s body to India immediately. The child has suffered an unfortunate incident under suspicious circumstances; this should be investigated with utmost seriousness. The family should not have to make any further rounds of your offices.”
