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BJP leader seeks govt help to locate missing Indian student in UK

BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa accused the Metropolitan police of showing no concern or seriousness in locating the missing student

Indian student Gurashman Singh Bhatia went missing in east London on December 15, 2023 / Image - X/@MSSirsa

Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa appealed to the High Commissioner of India in London, and India’s Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar to help locate an Indian student who is missing in the UK.

Gurashman Singh Bhatia, enrolled at Loughborough University in the United Kingdom’s London city is missing since December 15. He was last seen in Canary Wharf, East London.

“An Indian student named GS Bhatia, who studies at @lborouniversity in the United Kingdom, has been missing from East London since December 15. While we have apprised @HCI_London; we are still waiting for some concrete action from the Govt of UK in locating him,” Sirsa wrote on X on December 18.

This was the second time Sirsa posted about Bhatia, the first being on December 16 when he also posted Bhatia’s student identity card and residence permit.

Sirsa said the Loughborough University and the Metropolitan Police have been informed, however, there is no update on Bhatia’s whereabouts, despite the presence of surveillance cameras across the city of London. Canary Wharf is one of the busiest business and financial districts in London. The district implements a unified security platform to manage over 1,750 security cameras, 1,000 doors, and 17 automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) cameras, as per a 2021 report.

Sirsa alleged there is no concern or seriousness shown by the authorities in locating Bhatia. He requested an intervention by EAM Jaishankar to pressure the UK government to gather information regarding Bhatia, that can be conveyed to his parents in India.

UK’s largest and oldest Indian student and alumni network, the National Indian Students and Alumni Union UK (NISAU) urged people to help in locating the missing student. NISAU said they got in touch with the Indian High Commissioner and the university about the case.

Loughborough’s Chief Operating Officer Richard Taylor posted on X, writing the university is in touch with the Met Police and Bhatia’s family to offer assistance. Bhatia’s case bears semblance to another Indian student named Mitkumar Patel. He went missing on November 17, two weeks after moving to the UK for further studies.

In Patel’s case, the police found his body on November 21st from the water in Canary Wharf. No foul play was detected. It appears that Patel had premeditated ending his life. Messages containing a detailed plan to end his life sent by him to a relative were discovered after he went missing.

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