’They burnt 10 Indians in front of my eyes’

Engineer told his family over the phone that he and his group of 35 Indians are starving and scampering to escape the protestors' wrath

'They burnt 10 Indians in front of my eyes'

Engineer told his family over the phone that he and his group of 35 Indians are starving and scampering to escape the protestors' wrath

GOVERNMENT assurances of Indians being safe in Libya proved farcical for a family in Punjab when Joginder Singh (name changed), a mechanical engineer who has been living in the strife-torn country for 16 years, called them on Tuesday and said he could die at the hands of the mob at any moment.

Rajni, daughter of Joginder Singh in Libya

Singh told his family that 10 Indians were burnt alive in a bus by anti-government protestors right before his eyes and he and his group of 35 Indians were starving and scampering to save their lives.

Fateful phone call

Singh's daughter, Rajni, recounted the fateful phone call to MiD DAY from the United Kingdom, where she resides.

"I am talking to you for the last time. They want to kill us. They killed ten people from our group when we were fleeing Susa to escape the mob's wrath.

They burnt the bus in front of us. I saw our people being burnt alive. They have been killing people, they will kill us," Singh told his daughter.

"My father has been working in Libya for a company from the UK for so long. We had been fearing for his life after trouble broke out but felt he was safe after the government issued statements saying all Indians were safe in Libya.

But, after the phone call, we know that he and the 35 remaining members of his group want to leave the country but can't," Rajni said.

"While even the British government is trying to help rescue Indians, the Indian government is of very little help in the troubled country," she added.

Assurances

Rajni's brother, Karan, who lives in Punjab, said, "Phone services in the country are erratic at best. I have been unable to speak to my father since last Monday and other families are facing the same problem.

My father told us that droves of protestors have been barging into residences and looting their belongings.

My father and the other Indians with him are left with no food and have been starving for the past few days. They said a massacre is in progress out there "

On Sunday, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vishnu Prakash had said earlier, "An estimated 18,000 Indians are safe in Libya.

Arabs in Mumbai rallied against the Libyan government in Azad Maidan yesteday. The were protesting against the government for its inability to control the bloodshed and violence that erupted in the country

We are following the situation closely. Disturbances have mainly been reported in north-eastern cities of Benghazi, Derna, Baida and Tubruk.
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In view of the prevailing situation in Libya, Indian nationals are advised to avoid non-essential travel there for the time being."

After a meeting of senior officials from the External Affairs Ministry and senior Congress leaders, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao tweeted last night, "Arrangements to evacuate Indian nationals by air and sea have been finalised."

She had earlier tweeted,u00a0 "Saw on Stratfor that Turkish Air flight to evacuate their citizens from Benghazi was denied permission to land.
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Returned to Turkey...Please understand that we have 18,000 Indians there. It is not a question of evacuating a few hundred people...Situation Room numbers: +91-11-23015300, 23012113, 23018179.
E-mail: controlroom@mea.gov.in"

18,000
The number of Indians u00a0in Libya