Nagpur, Mar 8 (PTI) The Maharashtra State Minorities Commission has appealed for consular assistance for a doctor and a businessman from Nagpur detained in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, where they had gone to perform Umrah.
After being informed by the duo’s families of their plight, Maharashtra State Minorities Commission Chairperson Pyare Khan on Saturday wrote to the Chief of Mission, Embassy of India, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The family, in their letter to the commission, claimed the two have been detained after being falsely accused of involvement in brokerage activities without a company licence.
“As per the information received from the families of Abdul Asim Khan and Dr Yahya Hunani, belonging to Nagpur, the two arrived in Jeddah on March 3 and travelled to Makkah for Umrah. On March 4, while offering prayers at Masjid Al-Haram, they were reportedly approached by individuals in civil dress and subsequently taken into custody after a misunderstanding during an interaction conducted only in Arabic, which they do not understand,” the minority commission chairperson said in the letter.
It has been reported that the two individuals are currently held at the Al Shumaisi detention facility and that deportation proceedings may have been initiated, the letter said.
“The families of the two Indian nationals have expressed serious concern about the circumstances of their detention and the allegations made against them. The Maharashtra State Minorities Commission has requested the embassy to extend urgent consular assistance, verify their status and welfare and ensure that due process and fair representation are provided to them,” the letter said. PTI CLS BNM GK
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