An Odisha man, who worked at a plastic factory in Al Fashir since 2022, was kidnapped last month. A video showed him flanked by Sudan rebels, while one of them ask him if he knows Shah Rukh Khan.
In a disturbing video from war-torn Sudan, armed men can be seen flanking an Indian national from Odisha and asking him, “Do you know Shah Rukh Khan?” The captive, identified as 36-year-old Adarsh Behera from Jagatsinghpur district, has reportedly been abducted by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a powerful paramilitary group battling the Sudanese army in the country’s ongoing civil war.
The clip shows armed RSF soldiers around Behera. While one of them asks if he knows Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, another orders him to say on camera, “Dagalo good,” referring to their commander.
Behera, who worked at Sukarati Plastic Factory in Al Fashir since 2022, was kidnapped last month and is believed to be held in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, a known RSF stronghold. The group is led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti.
In a video shared by his family, Behera is seen sitting on the floor with folded hands, pleading for his life.
“I am here in Al Fashir where the situation is very bad. I have been living here for two years with great difficulty. My family and children are very worried. I request the state (Odisha) government to help me,” he says.
FAMILY APPEALS FOR INTERVENTION
Behera’s wife, Susmita, who lives in Jagatsinghpur with their two sons aged eight and three, has appealed to both the Odisha government and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to intervene.
“My husband had been working there for the last three years in a plastic company. Around October 20, his phone calls suddenly stopped. Then, on October 24, I got a call from an unknown number — it was my husband. He was crying. He said he had been abducted by terrorists while returning from work with his boss,” she said.
“He told me that if the embassy or the Red Cross spoke to them, they would release him. They were attacking him brutally,” she added.
Her father-in-law, Khetrabasi Behera, said the family has not been able to contact Adarsh for the past eight days.
ODISHA CM WRITES TO CENTRE
Following the family’s appeal, the Odisha government has written to the MEA, seeking urgent intervention. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has directed officials to coordinate with the Indian Embassy in Sudan and ensure Behera’s safe release.
A statement from the Chief Minister’s Office said the Director General of Intelligence has already written to the MEA, and the Resident Commissioner in New Delhi is in touch with the ministry for updates.
Majhi has assured the family that “all necessary measures” are being taken to resolve the situation.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition and BJD president Naveen Patnaik said on X,“Deeply concerned to know that Adarsh Behera from Jagatsinghpur district of Odisha has been kidnapped by paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan’s Al Fashir. Urge Indian government and the Ministry of External Affairs to intervene into the matter with urgency and coordinate with officials of Sudan for his early release.”
