Centre in touch with Libya

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and his office are constantly in touch with the external affairs ministry to get updates. “Bhavan officials in Delhi are obtaining details and are in touch with MEA,”said an official release from the CMO.

Officials said that the Centre is in touch with government in Libya, and is making all efforts to release him.

AP minister for NRI Affairs Palle Raghunath Reddy said the state government was making efforts with the help of the Indian government and Libya to secure the release of Mr Gopi Krishna. He said efforts were also being made to contact the officials of Indian embassy in Tripoli.

Meanwhile, Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya requested minister for external affairs Sushma Swaraj to secure the release of the duo. “I express my concern for the release of Gopi Krishna from AP and Ch Balram from Telangana who are still in the clutches of the militants,” Mr Dattatreya said in a letter addressed to Ms Sushma Swaraj.

“I request the minister to get the two Telugu people released from IS militants,” Dattatreya said and added that for the safe release of the two persons, he had spoken to the external affairs minister.

Mr Gopi Krishna, an assistant professor at University of Sirte, is a native of Tekkali in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh while Ch Balram, an English professor with the same varsity is a native of Karimnagar district in Telangana.