**Bhubaneswar:** In connection with the case in which an Iran-origin British social activist is facing criminal charges for allegedly causing death of a tribal child due to negligence, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has asked for a report from the Government of Odisha.
Narges K Ashtari (28) heads an NGO Prishan Foundation and runs an orphanage in Rayagada district of southern Odisha.
She was born in Isfahan of Central Iran. When she was four-year old, her parents migrated to the United Kingdom.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted: “I have asked for a report from Government of Odisha reg the case of Narges K Ashtari. @BorisJohnson @JZariff @skumarifs89”.
Notably, Narges is facing the criminal charges in the wake of the allegedly mysterious disappearance of the tribal child of her orphanage in 2014. The child was feared drowned.
The local court has sentenced her to one-year imprisonment and meanwhile, she has been granted conditional bail by Orissa High Court.
As per media reports, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif in his recent statement said that Iran would initiate all efforts to secure the release of Narges.
“The Foreign Ministry considers it its duty to protect Iranian nationals residing abroad, including students, elites and businessmen and will use all its capacity to support them and restore their rights,” Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif was quoted as saying by Iran’s Press TV.
He also said that their Foreign Ministry and Iran’s embassy in New Delhi are chasing her case through diplomatic, consular and legal channels.
Apart from that, an online petition by social activists has also urged Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention seeking justice for Narges K Ashtari.
The online petition states that Narges has dedicated her life to serving orphans and abandoned children world over.