By IANS
Chennai : The disappearance of an activist of the Friends of Tibet group from a train on Sep 11 has the organisation worried. They say this is the second time in weeks that an activist has been the victim of unknown assailants.
Tibet activist and researcher C.A. Kallianpur, 54, went missing from a train while travelling from Mumbai to New Delhi.
On Aug 24, Greenpeace and Friends of Tibet campaigner V.J. Jose was drugged on a train while returning from New Delhi to Kerala. He was found unconscious at the Jhansi railway station in Madhya Pradesh and there were marks on his feet indicating that he had been beaten severely.
Kallianpur is the national coordinator of Friends of Tibet. He was travelling to New Delhi to organise a conference on ‘India’s Foreign Policy on China’ at the India International Centre scheduled on Sep 13.
Kallianpur was travelling by the Paschim Express (No. 2925) on a Tatkal ticket but never reached the Gandhi Peace Foundation, New Delhi, where he was supposed to reach by 11.30 a.m. on Sep 12.
The railway police at Bandra in Mumbai and New Delhi have refused to accept missing person reports, allege Friends of Tibet activists and his family.
The number of the mobile phone Kallianpur was carrying was traced to Jaipur and was picked up by someone named Jeetendra on Sep 12, at 6.39 p.m. and at 6.49 p.m., says Friends of Tibet.
“We could also hear the voices of some other people in the background. The mobile has been switched off since then,” said Friends of Tibet activists attempting to call the phone from here and Mumbai.
Kallianpur was 5.3 feet tall, of wheatish complexion, speaks Hindi, English, Marathi and Konkani. He was carrying a brown suitcase. He usually wears trousers and full-sleeved shirts. He has streaks of grey hair though he keeps it short. He wears spectacles all the time.
Friends of Tibet have asked with any information on Kallianpur to contact the organisation at 9833191592 (Sethu Das), 9418079832, 9971448216 (Tenzin Tsundue), 9810205217 (Chaman Sharma) or via email at [email protected]. A photograph is available with the organisation.