Probe be death of girls in Russia: Families

Family members of one of the victims, Pooja Kallur, break down at her residence in Seawoods in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday. (Photo: Rajesh Jadhav)

The families of the two medical students from Maharashtra who perished on Sunday in the hostel of Smolensk State Medical University, Russia on Sunday are not convinced that the girls died due to suffocation and alleged the institute and Russian authorities are trying to hide facts.

The families who had come to Mumbai on Wednesday to receive the bodies of the two girls that were flown in from Moscow via Dubai said they have sought the help of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to uncover the truth behind the cause of the death of the two girls and are also in touch with the external affairs ministry regarding the same.

Following an order by Mr Fadnavis to party members to help the bereaved families complete formalities as soon as they arrive, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya reached Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport on Wednesday afternoon and helped the Kallur and Bhosale family get custody of the bodies of the girls. The bodies arrived at around 1.50 pm through an Emirates flight and the families were able to leave by 4 pm. Two separate ambulances were arranged for the bodies to be taken to Navi Mumbai and Pune — the homes of the two girls.

When asked about the incident and the support from the institute, S.M. Kallur, father of Puhja Kallur and Vikrant Bapat the paternal uncle of Karishma Bhosale said that there was something amiss as the institute was very evasive and did not respond to their queries satisfactorily. “We have been told by parents of other students that their children have said that there was no proper escape route or drill for the students in case of emergencies in the hostel. The death of our daughters is shrouded in mystery and our doubts of whether they died due to burns or suffocation will be confirmed only when we see the bodies,” said Mr Kallur.

Mr Kallur and Mr Bapat also added that the institute or Russian authorities had not bothered to send the post-mortem report and hence they felt the incident should be probed thoroughly. “We have spoken to Mr Fadnavis and requested him to demand a detailed investigation of the incident through the MEA. We will not rest till we know the actual cause of the death of our daughters,” said Mr Bapat.

Mr Somaiya said that the government was with the families and would ensure that the cause of death of the two girls was ascertained. “Mr Fadnavis has assured that the incident would be pursued to its logical end and the government will do everything in its power to alleviate the grief of the families,” said Mr Somaiya after emerging from the cargo terminal along with Mr Kallur and Mr Bapat.