The Hindu : Front Page : Centre steps in to bail out State student

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 16, 2007
ePaper

Front Page

Front Page

Centre steps in to bail out State student

Special Correspondent

Indian envoy asked to help Sujith, held in US on terrorism charges

HYDERABAD: Concerned about the plight of 22-year-old engineering student from Andhra Pradesh Sujith Venkatramolla, arrested by the US police on charges of assaulting a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest besides making false bomb threat, the Centre has initiated action to bail him out.

Nizamabad MP Madhu Yaskhi, taking note of the student's suffering, requested Union Minister for NRI Affairs Vayalar Ravi and Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma to intervene and help the student. The two Union Ministers got in touch with Indian Ambassador in Washington Ronen Sen and requested him to write a formal letter to the US Attorney-General to take a lenient view of the charges and ensure the student's early release. Sujith is presently lodged in a jail in Rolla ever since his arrest on February 28.

Relatives of Sujith, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and Telugu associations in the USA, Telangana Development Forum along with Telugu students have come together to help him. His relatives have expressed inability to afford a defence lawyer to fight the case and pay the whopping US $ 2.5 lakh bail amount to secure his release.

Chief Minster Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy wrote a letter to Minister for External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee urging his Ministry to take up the case of Sujith in US through the Indian Embassy and get him released from detention and send him back to India.

Mr. Madhu Yaskhi told reporters here on Thursday that Sujith was in a state of depression when he resorted to the act of climbing atop the university building brandishing a kitchen knife and a bag of sugar powder. "Indian students have raised $ 40,000 to help fight his case. Criminal charges have been filed against Sujith and unless his case comes up before court, it is difficult to seek his deportation," he added.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page