Pranab urged to take up with US death of two Andhra students

New Delhi, Sep 16 (UNI) Convenor of the Parliamentary Committee of OBC MPs Mr V Hanumantha Rao today wrote a letter to External Affairs Minister Pranab Kumar Mukherjee asking him to take up the issue of the death of two Indian students in St Louis with the US to ensure a thorough probe.

Mr Rao also urged the External Affairs Minister to see that their bodies were brought back to India at the earliest so that their last rites could be performed by their families.

The MP said the students-- Ms T Sowmya Reddy and her brother Vikram Reddy-- hailed from a backaward region of his home state Andhra Pradsh and had gone to the US for higher studies, but were recently found dead in St Louis near southern Illinois University.

He said the Missori Police had only allowed their sister Ms Sahaja to see their bodies.

''I think this is the second unfortunate incident in the USA relating to Andhra students. Both of them are brilliant in their studies. It appears that it is a case of homicide and there is a need for us to take up this incident at higher level,'' the letter said.

''It would be highly appreciable if you could kindly take up the matter with the USA Government and ensure that a thorough probe into this sad incident is conducted and the culprits are brought to book,'' said Mr Rao.

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