Bhubaneswar: Amid reports of an Odisha native being held captive by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the conflict-torn Sudan, BJD president and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday urged the Indian Government and the Ministry of External Affairs to take immediate steps for his safe release.
“Deeply concerned to know that Adarsh Behera from Jagatsinghpur district of Odisha has been kidnapped by paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan’s Al Fashir. Urge Indian Government and the Ministry of External Affairs to intervene into the matter with urgency and coordinate with the officials of Sudan for his early release,” Naveen posted on X tagging the MEA.
Distressed family members of Behera, a resident of Kotakana village under Tirtol police limits in Jagatsinghpur district, have appealed to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and the Government of India to ensure his safe return.
While officials in Jagatsinghpur district said they are yet to receive any official communication from the central or governments regarding the case, sources in the state administration confirmed that the situation is being closely monitored.
Earlier, Sudan’s Ambassador to India, Mohammed Abdalla Ali Eltom had affirmed that Khartoum would extend all possible assistance to New Delhi “We are ready to play any role in ensuring his safe return to India and will cooperate with the Indian authorities,” he told PTI.
The Abduction
Behera had been working at Sukarati Plastic Factory in Sudan since 2022 to support his wife and two young children, aged eight and three, back home
He was reportedly abducted from Al Fashir and taken to Nyala, the capital of South Darfur and a known stronghold of RSF, a paramilitary force previously operated by the Sudanese government. Since 2023, Sudan has been in the middle of a civil war which broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and RSF. Violent clashes and devastating conflict resulted in around 13 million people being displaced from their homes, capital Khartoum bearing the brunt.
A video allegedly sent to his family by the abductors shows Behera seated between two RSF soldiers. One of them asks, “Do you know Shah Rukh Khan?” while another prompts him to say, “Dagalo good” — a reference to Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, or Hemeti, the RSF leader.
In another video which his family shared with NDTV, he was seen sitting on the floor with folded hands, pleading into the camera, “I am here in Al Fashir where the situation is very bad. I have been living here for two years with great difficulty. My family and children are very worried. I request the state (Odisha) government to help me.”
The Appeal
In a video shared on social media, Behera’s father Kshetramohan Behera and wife Sasmita Behera can also be seen desperately pleading for assistance. “Adarsha is my only son. He has two little children, aged nine and four. He is the sole breadwinner of our family. I request the government to take urgent steps for his release,” said Kshetramohan.
A tearful Sasmita added, “My husband has nothing to do with Sudan’s internal conflict. He went there only to earn a livelihood for us. I appeal to the RSF to release him on humanitarian grounds, as he’s just a worker with no political ties.”
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