Family struggles for return of mortal remains of Tejpal Singh who died fighting for Russia in war against Ukraine

Neeraj Bagga

Amritsar, July 3

The family of Tejpal Singh, who died fighting for Russia in the war against Ukraine, has been running from pillar to post to bring back his mortal remains and due compensation as per the Russian army norms.

Will also knock on Prime Minister’s office

She appeared before the Russian Embassy in New Delhi for help last month. After being made to wait for hours, embassy officials guided her to approach Indian embassy officials in Moscow. Unable to find any positive response, the family is now planning to knock the door of the Prime Minister’s office.

In a communiqué to the Immigration Department at the Russian Embassy, New Delhi, “I have no source of income and at present, am looking after my family and seek payment of his dues from the Russian Government and request for sending back the dead body of my husband and also issue a death certificate.”

She appeared before the Russian Embassy in New Delhi for help last month. After being made to wait for hours, embassy officials guided her to approach Indian embassy officials in Moscow.

Unable to find any positive response, the family is now planning to knock the door of the Prime Minister’s office. Parminder said her family has already prepared a letter, but they have not posted it yet.

She said through her contacts with Punjabi boys enrolled in the Russian army, she was told to come to Moscow to get the body and the compensation. Subsequently, she applied for the renewal of her passport to fly to Moscow.

A distant family relative of her rang up the Indian Embassy in Moscow and was informed that the Russian Government had issued a list of those who were killed in the war, which included the name of Tejpal. However, she said, it mentioned Tejpal’s date of birth as of October 12, 1994, which, she says, is wrong. Tejpal was born on October 2, 1994. She said her family has been trying to rectify the mistake.

Still unable to come to terms with the loss of her husband, she is gearing up to raise her two children — 6-year-old Armandeep Singh and 3-year-old Gurnaazdeep Kaur. She said so far, her efforts to bring back her husband’s mortal remains have failed to bear fruit.

On March 12, Tejpal Singh, 30, was killed, thousands of kilometres away from his home in Amritsar. Before the tragedy, he had last spoken to his family on March 3 and told his wife that he wouldn’t be able to call often here onwards because he was going to the frontline. But Parminder Kaur was not aware of her husband’s death until she called his friend in his unit who broke the news.

A day after landing in Moscow, Tejpal had joined the Russian army after clearing the physical and medical tests on January 13, 2024.