The body of Naveen Shekharappa Gyanagoudar, an Indian student who was killed in a Russian missile strike in Eastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv city, will be donated to a hospital for research purposes, said Naveen’s family.?

“Naveen was very interested in the medical sciences – he wanted to be a doctor, so it makes sense to donate his body so that it could be beneficial to other medical students,” Shekhar Gouda, Naveen’s father, was quoted as saying by The Print.?

Naveen, 21, was killed in Kharkiv in the Russian offensive on 1 March when he had left his shelter to get groceries. He was a fourth-year medical student at Kharkiv National Medical University and was from Haveri district in Karnataka. His family lives in the Chalageri village in the district.?

The embalmed mortal remains of Naveen would reach Bengaluru from Poland on Monday at around 3 am. Harsha, Naveen’s elder brother, will receive the remains along with some other family members.?

The family will perform a puja at their home with the remains and then they would hand over the body to S S Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, situated in neighbouring Davanagere district.

Shekhar, Naveen’s father, said they were not sure whether they would get his son’s remains.

He told mediapersons, “We are a bit relieved now. We were not sure whether we would be able to see his face one last time. But, thanks to the efforts of the Union and state governments, we can see him one last time.”