Tharoor seeks MEA help to return Kerala man's body
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New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has sought the Ministry of External Affairs' intervention to bring back the body of a Kerala man who was killed by Jordanian security forces at the Israel-Jordan border last month.
Thomas Gabriel, a resident of Thiruvananthapuram, was among a group of four individuals who attempted to illegally cross the border from Jordan into Israel with the assistance of an agent. However, their attempt was thwarted when Jordanian soldiers intercepted them at the border. As the group tried to escape, gunfire erupted, resulting in Gabriel being shot by the soldiers.
"I have written to the MEA and the Embassy, requesting urgent action to expedite the return of the mortal remains to the family in Thiruvananthapuram," Tharoor, who is also the chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, said.
"This is a most unfortunate and tragic situation. Thomas Gabriel from my constituency was shot dead apparently by Jordanian security forces at the border with Israel. We are not fully aware of the circumstances. Unscrupulous agents seem to have misled him. The family wants the body back," said Tharoor, a four-time sitting Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram.
(inputs from PTI)