Hindu youth Sahil Kumar abducted in Sindh Pakistan
Two Hindu youths, Pritam Kumar and Sahil Kumar were reportedly abducted by unknown gunmen on 17 March 2023 from Kandhrah bypass area in Rohri, Sukkur district, Sindh province of Pakistan. Pritam Kumar somehow managed to escape from his captors in the dark of the night and reached home by dawn, but Sahil could not, reports Pakistani Hindu activist Narain Das Bheel.
Although the family members reported the matter to the area police, no progress has been made thus far towards recovering Sahil.
After a few days of the abduction, Hindu Panchayat leaders held a mass rally in Sukkur calling for the safe recovery of missing Sahil Kumar. Sukkur police reportedly just gave empty promises to Sahil’s family members but did not take any concrete actions to trace him, prompting the Panchayat to take action. Members of the Panchayat took to the media to express their concerns about Kumar’s safety and criticized the police for not finding any leads about his whereabouts.
Sahil Kumar has been kidnapped from Kandhra, Sukkur five days ago — the police have failed to recover him.
Last year, a child Priya Kumari went missing from Kandhra, and still, no one knows whereabouts of her.#SaveMinoritiesInPakistan @VeengasJ https://t.co/ThseWeQzhw pic.twitter.com/6YwZj1JqaR— Narain Das Bheel (@NarainDasBheel8) March 25, 2023
A Hindu girl named Priya Kumari had also gone missing from the same Kandhra area last year, Narain Das Bheel informed, and police had failed to recover her too.
Fearing for his life, the missing youth’s family called on the Sukkur DIG, SSP and higher authorities to take immediate action to ensure his safe recovery. It was soon clear that Kumar had been kidnapped for ransom, which is a constant threat facing relatively better off Pakistani Hindus. The kidnappers demanded 1 core rupees in exchange for his safe release. The family were told not to stage a protest and promised that their son would be returned within three days.
A video of Sahil’s inconsolable father talking to the SSP about his son’s abduction has gone viral. His sister also spoke to local media and described how her brother went missing and her uncle and cousins spent the whole night searching for him. Finally, the family received the ransom call, confirming their worst fears. She says that police is only giving us assurances but not doing much, and appeals for her brother’s safe return.
Sahil’s family has become increasingly concerned about his life. It is unclear if the kidnappers will keep their promise to release him or if the family will need to take other steps to ensure his safe return. The situation has caused widespread concern in the Hindu community of Sukkur, with many expressing solidarity with the family and calling for immediate action to ensure Sahil Kumar’s safe recovery.
