Gaurav Gogoi urges Centre to ensure 'safe return' of 5 youth allegedly abducted by PLA

Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi wrote a letter to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh urging him to ensure the safe return of five youth from Arunachal Pradesh who have allegedly been abducted by Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA).

"I am writing to you to register my grave concern regarding the condition of the five young men from Arunachal Pradesh that have gone missing from the Upper Subansiri district during a hunting exercise. Members of the family have made statements alleging that they have been abducted, wherein they hold the Chinese People's Liberation Army as the party responsible for the said abduction," Gogoi stated.

"I urge the Government to look into this matter and ensure that steps are taken immediately to ensure the safe return of these 5 youth and to strengthen security along the border region," he said.

The Member of Parliament said that such an action in the North East is "alarming" and must be dealt with more sternly in light of rising "aggression" by the Chinese in the Ladakh region.

"As per reports, the Indian Army at present is merely waiting for a response from its Chinese counterparts at the respective border point. Besides these statements, the State Government has divulged no further information or elucidated any further steps that would be taken in this regard," read the letter.

"The people of Arunachal Pradesh have already expressed their displeasure at the State's level of inaction and apathy in the situation. They have raised the question; why has the Government failed to take into account the numerous aggressions and incursions undertaken by the PLA along the McMahon line in Arunachal Pradesh?" he asked.

( With inputs from ANI )