Secure release of priest Alexis at earliest: Karuna to govt

, Jun 4:

chief M Karunanidhi today urged the Centre to secure at the earliest the release of Indian aid worker Alexis Prem Kumar, a Jesuit priest from

, who has been abducted from Herat in Afghanistan on June 2 by suspected Taliban militants.

"I urge the Centre and the Prime Minister in particular, to intervene and secure the release of Fr Alexis Prem Kumar," he said in a statement. A native of Devakottai in Sivaganga district, Kumar was working with the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), an educational charity, as its Afghanistan Director and has been in the war-torn country for over three years.

"It is said that the priest was abducted because he was preventing youth from joining the Talibam militants," Karunanidhi said in a statement. MDMK chief Vaiko had also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the priest had dedicated himself for uplift of tribals throughout his life and also served Sri Lankan refugees in Tamil Nadu.

He had requested the Prime Minister to take immediate measures with the Afghanistan Government to secure his release. The priest was abducted in Herat province on Monday, nearly 11 days after the Indian consulate was attacked by armed men.

PTI