Two Indian Muslim youths are languishing in a Sri lanka prison for last three months due to lack of assistance from the High Commission in Sri lanka.
Meanwhile, both victims’ wives have approached the Ministry of External Affairs and State Home Department through Jagatsinghpur district administration seeking release of their husbands. But unresponsive action has coupled their woes.
The victim youths, identified as Salim Khan hailing from Dhanipur village, six km from Jagatsinghpur district headquarters town and his colleague Sk Tamizuddin, a resident of Bhimkarpur under Jajpur district, were employed in a hotel, named as ‘A Hot Chips Hotel’ at Colombo as attendants having valid Indian passports and tourist visa arranged by their employer.
Earlier both worked in a hotel at Hyderabad where a Colombo based hotel owner picked them up offering attractive salary. Both had reached Colombo and joined at work immediately with validity of 11 months’ temporary visa in addition to one month tourist visa effective since February 16, 2016.
According to Jahanara Begum, wife of Salim Khan, her husband’s visa ended on February 16, 2017 and later, his colleague Sk Tamizzuddin’s.
The Sri lankan police immediately took them to custody and forwarded them to local court. The court adjudicating the case sentenced them to one- year imprisonment with punitive fine.
The victims had communicated Jahanara by one of her kin Nasim Khan, who is working there, and the latter, sent a judgment copy of the court written in Sri lankan language through Whatsapp to Jahanara which is not understandable by the victim’s wife due to language barrier and lack of translator, informed Jahanara.
Meanwhile, Jahanara has approached the Jagatsinghpur Collector, seeking release of his husband. The Collector apprised the Additional Secretary Home on March 28 for taking appropriate action.
Meanwhile, State BJP president Basanta Panda has written a letter to Union Minister External Affairs Sushma Swaraj requesting her to take step for smooth release of the youths.