HYDERABAD, India, 2 May 2006 — The body of an Indian engineer killed by the Taleban was flown back to India yesterday amid rising demand for the government to ensure greater security for the more than 2,000 Indians working in Afghanistan.
Kasula Suryanarayana, who worked for a Bahraini firm in Afghanistan, was abducted along with his Afghan driver on Friday. His decapitated body was found Sunday, and a spokesman for the Taleban claimed responsibility for the killing.
Suryanarayana’s body was flown back to his southern Indian hometown of Hyderabad. The body was received at the airport by his family and friends. Later, it was shifted to his house in the East Anandbagh district.
Suryanarayana’s wife Manjula, who yesterday attempted suicide by taking disinfectant, was recovering in a local hospital.
The Indian government has said it was reviewing security measures for its citizens after Suryanarayana’s killing, the latest of an Indian in Afghanistan. The Taleban had demanded after kidnapping Suryanarayan that all Indians working in Afghanistan should leave. “Several measures have been taken over the past few months to increase the level of security for Indian nationals working on Indian government-aided projects in Afghanistan,” Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran said Sunday.
“Private companies employing Indian personnel had also been advised to put in place comprehensive security measures,” he added. “These measures would be further reviewed and strengthened.”
Diplomats said a team that had flown to Kabul to negotiate for the release of Suryanarayan was holding consultations with the Afghan government, the Indian Embassy and private companies employing Indian citizens.
Most Indians currently in Afghanistan are semi-skilled workers employed in road and other infrastructure-building projects being executed by private companies.
Several engineers are also employed on these projects, and more than 15 Indian doctors are based in Kabul. Reports said these doctors had been routinely receiving threats from the Taleban.
Giving a new twist to the tragedy, a woman, claiming to be the second wife of the slain Indian engineer, made a dramatic appearance in Hyderabad, demanding a share in the compensation sanctioned for the family.
The young woman, Swapna (in her late 20s), with a baby girl, arrived in the city from Warangal, the native town of engineer Suryanarayana. She met Cyberabad Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crimes) Soumya Mishra, seeking her help to have a last glimpse of the body of her “late husband.” She alleged that Manjula denied her entry into the house of Suryanarayana.
Swapna told reporters that Suryanarayana had married her in August 2002 while working for a private firm in Warangal. She produced photographs of their “marriage.” She has a nine-year-old daughter Nitisha from him, she pointed out.
She admitted marrying Suryanarayana even when she knew he was already married with three children. She said her marriage was performed against the wishes of both their families.
