Family of Jaipur man abducted in Mali seeks PM's intervention to secure release

The Hindu

2 days ago

The family of a cement industry consultant from Jaipur, who was abducted last month in West African country Mali, on Monday (August 4, 2025) sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to secure his release. The family, struggling with uncertainty, has not received any information on his whereabouts so far.
Prakash Chandra Joshi, 61, was among the three Indian nationals abducted in the Kayes region of Mali during an armed assault by suspected terrorists affiliated with Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen (JNIM), a group linked to Al-Qaeda, on July 1. The incident occurred at Diamond Cement Factory, which Mr. Joshi had joined as general manager on June 5.
Mr. Joshi's daughter, Chitra Joshi, said at a press conference here that though the family had approached the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian Embassy in Mali's capital Bamako and other authorities, it had not received any 'convincing response'. 'We have no information about his location or the demands of the abductors,' she said.
'The factory officials initially informed us about the attack on July 1. Since then, we have not been told anything about ransom or negotiations by the factory, the Embassy, or the MEA,' Ms. Joshi said. The two other abducted persons belong to Telangana and Odisha.
Ms. Joshi demanded that the Union government update the three families regularly about the situation and be in communication with them. 'We remain completely in the dark about any concrete action... With every day that goes by, our anxiety and helplessness are growing,' she said.
Accompanied by her mother Suman, Ms. Joshi also highlighted the humanitarian concern, saying her father needed regular medicines in view of his health condition and was a strict vegetarian. She said Mr. Joshi had worked earlier in the Middle East and Africa for several years, but had no inkling that foreign nationals could be targeted in Mali's internal armed conflict.
The family has since approached the Members of Parliament from Rajasthan and the State authorities seeking their intervention in the matter. Jaipur Rural MP Rao Rajendra Singh, who helped the family and guided it to the MEA, has extended support and remained in touch.
Following the incident, the MEA had identified the abducted individuals and said in a statement that the Ministry's senior officials were closely monitoring the evolving situation and remained engaged at various levels to facilitate safe and early release of the Indian nationals. The MEA also said that the Indian Embassy in Bamako was in constant contact with the local authorities and security agencies.