Ex-serviceman from Kalimpong forcedto fight for Russian army, wants to return

Urgen Tamang is an ex-serviceman. After retiring from the Indian army, he had gone to work in Russia as a civilian. Seeing his background, the Russian authorities had drafted him in the Russian army.

YOWAN MOTHAY, EOI, KALIMPONG, APRIL 16, 2024 : Urgen Tamang of Kalimpong is currently being forced to fight the war in Ukraine as a Russian frontline soldier. He is upset and pleading to return home.

Kalimpong Municipal Administrator Ravi Pradhan is trying hard to bring Urgen Tamang, a resident of Chibo under ward no. 19 of Kalimpong Municipality Ward No.-19, to bring him back to his home from Russia.

Urgen Tamang is an ex-serviceman. After retiring from the Indian army, he had gone to work in Russia as a civilian. Seeing his background, the Russian authorities had drafted him in the Russian army. Now he was being forced to fight the war as a front-line soldier of Russia. Pradhan went to the house of Urgen Tamang on Tuesday after getting the information that Urgen Tamang made a video call from Russia the previous night and pleaded with the family to arrange for his return home anyhow.

Pradhan consoled the family by telling them that the authorities in Kalimpong were trying their best to rescue Urgen Tamang from Russia and bring him back to Kalimpong.

Prior to this, Pradhan has written letters to Gorkhaland Territorial Administration Chairman Anit Thapa, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former External Affairs Secretary Harshvardhan Shringla, Darjeeling M.P. Raju Bista and other high-ranking ministers. It was learnt that initiatives had already been taken to arrange for the return of Urgen Tamang from Russia.

Talking to newspersons, Ravi Pradhan appealed to the Centre and the State Government to take the problem of Urgen Tamang seriously as it was a matter of life and death. Harshvardhan Shringla had informed that an initiative was already on to bring back Indians who were serving as soldiers in Russia.

He thanked Anit Thapa, Raju Bista and Harshvardhan Shringla for the initiatives already taken to bring Urgen Tamang back home to Kalimpong. In the same way,

Tamang's wife and family have also appealed to everyone to bring Urgen Tamang back home.