Kundapur man among two Indians killed by French troops in Central Africa

Silvester Dsouza
Daijiworld Media Network – Kundapur (SP)

Kundapur, Mar 27: A man hailing from the taluk was among the two Indians killed by the French troops in Central African Republic (CAR) in African continent on Monday March 26 morning. Six others, it is learnt, also suffered grievous injuries in the incident.

The deceased has been identified as Krishnaiah Mogaveera (37), son of Narayana Mogaveera and Balu Mogaveera from Tulasi House near Lord Ganapati Temple in Kattu, Hemmady village.

Krishnaiah was working in a pharmaceutical company in South Africa since the last seven years. It is gathered that at his request, the company had granted him leave to visit his native place. Because of the tense situation arising out of terrorist activities in that nation, the soldiers had orders of shoot at sight, sources said. Krishnaiah Poojary and seven others, who were unaware of this order, had arrived at Bangui Airport. The French soldiers, who were patrolling the area, reportedly opened fire at the group, killing two persons instantly, and seriously injuring the other six.

Krishnaiah, after completing primary education at Kandavar and Hemmady, which happen to be the native places of his mother and father respectively, had pursued and finished his higher education at Mumbai, by living with his elder brother, Shekhar Mogaveera, there. He went to Africa after bagging a job. His other brother, Anand Mogaveera, continues to live at Hemmady. His elder sister, Parvati Mogaveera, lives with her husband in USA. Krishnaiah’s wife, and young son, Aditya, live with their Krishnaiah’s parents.

Krishnaiah, it is learnt, was waiting to visit his home, as he had availed leave. Because of tussle between security forces and terrorists, he was unable to venture out. On Monday, he visited the airport to enquire whether any flights were operational, as he thought that a ceasefire had been declared. The French troops, deployed on security duty around the airport, fired at the approaching people, thinking them to be terrorists, it is said.

It is reported that six of the injures are Indians, while the others are from Chad. France said that the soldiers fired at the three vehicles carrying the people to the airport after they ignored warning shots, thinking them to be belonging to gunmen loyal to rebel leader Michel Djotodia, who has proclaimed himself as the new president of the Central African Republic after dethroning Francois Bozize in a coup last Sunday. French military has continued its presence in CAR even after it ceased to be a French colony, and recently additional reinforcements had been sent to foil the coup. Officials said the French have termed the incident a result of mistaken identity.

A pall of gloom envelopes Hemmady village as of now. The family, which has become listless at the sudden misfortune that has befallen on them, is waiting for the information about the dispatch of the body of their beloved family member.

The Indian Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo, who is concurrently accredited to the Central African Republic, is making necessary arrangements for the return of the mortal remains of the Indian nationals in accordance with the desires of their next of kin.

Meanwhile, French President Francois Hollande wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to express regret over the incident and then called him personally on Tuesday morning.

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian telephoned Defence Minister A.K. Antony in New Delhi to convey his regret and sent out his condolences to the families of the two Indian nationals.

According to an official release, Antony told the French minister that the news of the incident and, in particular, the killing of Indian nationals was extremely distressing.

"He (Antony) asked that the French forces in the Central African Republic should ensure the proper treatment of the injured Indian nationals and also requested that necessary measures be taken to ensure the safety of the other Indian nationals," the release said.

Le Drian assured Antony that the French side was conducting a high-level enquiry into the incident and the Indian government would be informed about its outcome.