Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 19: A Jammu based young Mechanical Engineer from Miran Sahib is among 276 Indians trapped in troubled Barsa City of Iraq, where gunfight raged between rebels over City’s control even as 40 workers from India, mostly from Punjab were confirmed to have been kidnapped.
Thirty four years old Rajesh Kumar son of Swaran Dass Choudhary, a resident of Krishna Nagar locality in Miran Sahib is working as Mechanical Engineer with Dubai based construction company-Sopranjali Construction Company at Basra City in Iraq for past about two years.
Basra and Mosul are the most disturbed City in Iraq, where 40 Indian workers have been kidnapped by the militants. However, name of Rajesh didn’t figure among 40 kidnapped workers but he was among 276 Indians, who have been trapped in Barsa and surrounding cities of Iraq.
The Indian Embassy has asked all Indian workers not to venture out of their houses or offices till the situation is defused.
Official sources said the Government of India has prepared a list of 276 Indian trapped in Barsa and surrounding cities like Mosul and Tikrit and planned to evacuate them at the earliest available opportunity.
Rajesh Kumar was married to Reena Choudhary about three and a half years back and had a two and a half years old son.
Entire family of Rajesh Kumar including his wife, two year old son, father Swaran Dass Choudhary and brother were eagerly awaiting for the return of Rajesh. They hoped that the Government of India would take steps for evacuation of the stranded people in Iraq and Rajesh would return home safely.
UNI adds from New Delhi: amid massive attempts to rescue 40 Indians kidnapped in trouble-torn Iraq, the Government today made it clear that location of the abducted persons have been ascertained and the Iraqi Government has confirmed the ‘kidnappings’.
Giving this information, External Affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said the crisis management group on the issue had met twice today and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj chaired the meetings here.
Ms Swaraj has already contacted Chief Ministers of Punjab and Kerala and apprised them of the action being taken by the Government for the safety of Indians in Iraq. Asked to specify places where kidnapped people had been kept in Mosul or anywhere else by militants, the spokesperson said such information could not be shared but the Government efforts for safety of those kidnapped had gained momentum ever since reaching of a special envoy from here to oversee the developments.
As many as 40 Indians, largely from northern parts of the country, working in a construction company in strife-torn Mosul town of Iraq had been kidnapped, the Government had confirmed yesterday.
However, their whereabouts were not known till yesterday , and the Government was working with International organisation Red Crescent to locate the workers, who had been employed by Tariq Noor Al Huda Construction company.
The information was based on the input by the Red Crescent, he said.
No ransom demand has been received so far, the Iraqi government has informed.
Mr Akbaruddin today again said that all attempts were being made for safe evacuation of stranded Indians and all avenues would be tapped.
Besides the Indians kidnapped, there were 46 Indian nurses trapped in Tikrit town of Iraq with whom the Red Crescent was in touch but it had advised them not to take the surface route for leaving the city as it was not safe due to the fighting.
The spokesperson had already made it clear there was no plan to shut down the Indian Embassy and rather it would be strengthened with more staff.
Mr Akbaruddin said the Government had a contingency plan to deal with the crisis and Secretary, East, Anil Wadhwa, was spearheading the scheme. Besides, seasoned diplomat Suresh Reddy who had served in Iraq, had been sent to help the Indian Embassy.
Ms Sushma Swaraj was herself monitoring and reviewing the situation on a regular basis.
The Secretary East yesterday met Iraqi Ambassador Ahmad Tahseen Ahmad Berwari who apprised him of the situation and they discussed possibilities of ground-level co-operation and assistance to Indian nationals who were in the affected area. India has already expressed its support to the Iraqi Government against the attack by terrorist outfits which had taken over some cities, including Mosul and Tikrit.
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