Bhubaneswar: Leader of the Opposition in the Odisha Assembly and BJD President Naveen Patnaik on Saturday urged External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to intervene personally for the early and safe release of an Odisha resident reportedly abducted by militants in Mali, a conflict-ridden country in West Africa.
The appeal comes after the mother of P. Venkatraman, a 28-year-old resident of Hinjilicut block in Ganjam district, lodged a police complaint at her local station on Friday, stating that her son had gone incommunicado and could not be reached.
Venkatraman, who is employed at a cement factory in Mali, has reportedly been missing for several days. His last known contact with his family was before the suspected abduction. He hails from Naveen Patnaik’s own Assembly constituency, which the former Chief Minister has represented for six consecutive terms since 2000.
Taking to social media platform X, Patnaik wrote:
“Concerned to know that Panad Venkat Raman of Hinjilicut block of Ganjam district has been kidnapped by extremists in the African Country Mali. He has remained incommunicado since then, leaving his family in deep agony. Request Union Minister (@MEABharat) Shri @DrSJaishankar to personally intervene in the matter and secure his early and safe release.”
