The commando may have been kidnapped by Maoists.(Representational)
Raipur/ New Delhi:
The five-year-old daughter of a CoBRA commando has appealed for the release of her father, reportedly held hostage by Maoists in Chhattisgarh after an ambush on Saturday, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
“Please, release my father,” pleaded the girl, wiping tears, in a video.
The family of the CoBRA commando, Rakeshwar Singh Minhas, said they have not heard from him after the ambush. 22 security forces personnel died in action in the ambush.
“We came to know about the attack and that he went missing during action from news channels. Nobody from the government or the CRPF informed us about the incident,” the commando’s wife, Meenu, told reporters at their home in Jammu, according to PTI.
She said they contacted the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) headquarters in Jammu. “I was told there is nothing they can share with me. ‘Once we get a clear picture, we will come to you’, they said,” Meenu told PTI.
“My husband served the country for the last 10 years and now it is the turn of the government to ensure that he returns to us safe,” said the woman, surrounded by relatives who came to her house to support the family through the ordeal.
Meenu said she has requested Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to take up the matter with the centre and ask the Prime Minister and the Home Minister for her husband’s safe return.
The commando may have been kidnapped by Maoists, news agency ANI reported on Monday. “A search party has been looking for the missing soldier. We got to know via social media that he has been abducted by Naxals. There is a possibility that it’s true, we’ll verify the information and take necessary action to get him back safely,” P Sundarraj, Inspector General of Bastar, said.
With inputs from agencies