The Hindu : Front Page : Agonising wait for engineer’s family

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 04, 2009
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Front Page

Front Page

Agonising wait for engineer’s family

G.V.R. Subba Rao

Even 18 days after Krishna Rao was kidnapped, his family has no clue about the rescue efforts

VIJAYAWADA: The agony of family members of civil engineer Palagani Krishna Rao, who is believed to have been kidnapped by militants of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland in Assam, continues as there are no signs of his release even after 18 days.

Mr. Krishna Rao was learnt to have spoken to his colleagues in Assam about four days after he was kidnapped on October 16. The militants reportedly spelt out their demands through Mr. Rao to his employer, the Gayatri East Coast Insulation, a subsidiary of Gayatri Project Limited, Hyderabad. Thereafter, there were no reports either of the negotiations or the police finding the whereabouts of the engineer.

Even as they are extremely worried about his safety, the engineer’s family members are unable to decide whether to stay back or go to Assam to pursue the matter with the government officials. They are, however, tight-lipped about the company’s efforts in getting him released.

The family members say they have been hoping every day for some breakthrough. “We cannot describe the agony and trauma we are experiencing,” says Rajeswari, Mr. Rao’s wife. She chooses not to disclose any details of the negotiations. “We haven’t received any communication from the company so far,” is all that Ms. Rajeswari is willing to say, while adding that “We are in a dilemma whether to go (to Assam) or not.”

The company officials are believed to have told the family members that Mr. Rao was safe. But, the demands of the abductors were not disclosed fearing that too much publicity would encourage the militants to raise the bar and mar the prospects of his early release. Mr. Rao, a resident of Gannavaram near here, was abducted by the militants from a highway construction site near Joypur in Kokrajhar district in Assam.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page