Tirtol (Jagatsinghpur): The family of Adarsh Kumar Behera, a resident of Kotakana village under Tirtol police limits in Jagatsinghpur district, has appealed to the State and Central Governments to take urgent steps to secure his release after he was allegedly kidnapped by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia in Sudan.
According to reports, Adarsh was abducted in Al Fashir, a city located about 1,000 km from Khartoum. In a video message that has surfaced, he is seen seated between two RSF soldiers. One of them asks him, “Do you know Shah Rukh Khan?” Adarsh then pleads for help from the Indian and Odisha governments, saying, “Kidnappers have kept me in Al Fashir where the situation is very bad. My family and children are very worried. I request the state government to help me.”
Adarsh’s mother, Arati Behera, broke down while speaking to reporters. “We have no idea about my son’s condition. We request the government to please bring him back. My grandsons are completely distraught and have stopped eating. I am in constant tension; our whole family keeps crying thinking about him. He is our only child,” she said in tears.
His father, Khetrabasi Behera, said Adarsh had gone to South Sudan in 2022 to work at a plastic factory.
“Due to the war, his work was disrupted and he could not return to Odisha. Later, he was kidnapped. For the past 8 to 10 days, we have not been able to contact him. The kidnappers are intimidating him and not giving him food. I appeal to the government to bring back my son safely,” he said emotionally.
Confirming the development, Jagatsinghpur SP Ankit Kumar Verma said, “After learning about the plight of a man from our district in Sudan, we informed the state government and the Director General of Police to take necessary action.”
Following media reports, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has directed senior officials to take immediate steps and urged the Union Ministry of External Affairs to initiate measures for Adarsh’s rescue. Acting on his instructions, the Director General of Intelligence has written to the Ministry of External Affairs, seeking intervention to ensure his safe release.
Meanwhile, BJD Supremo and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik has also urged the Indian Government and the Ministry of External Affairs to intervene in the matter with utmost urgency.
