Six Indians were among the casualties in the terror attack on a shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, on Saturday. Two of the community members were killed, and the rest four injured.
Armed gunmen, belonging to the Somali Islamist group al Shabaab, stormed the upscale Westgate shopping mall, killing at least 39 including close relatives of Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, and injuring more than 150. With dozens still held hostage inside the mall, the casualty figure is like to shoot up.
Among the dead Indian nationals were Sridhar Natarajan, 40, and Paramshu Jain, an 8-year-old boy. Natarajan, who hailed from Tamil Nadu, worked in a local pharmaceutical company. Prayanshu's father is a bank manager of the local Bank of Baroda.
The four Indians who were injured are Manjula Sridhar, Mukta Jai, Kumari Poorvi Jain and Natarajan Ramachandran. Indian diplomats in the Kenyan capital are providing medical facilities for the wounded.
Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said the Indian government is in touch with the victims' families and providing assistance.
When asked if the dead will be brought back to India, Akbaruddin said, "It is matter for their next of kin to decide on. We are in touch with them."
Al Shabaab, which has links to al Qaeda, had repeatedly threatened to unleash terrorism if Nairobi did not withdraw its troops from Somalia. President Kenyatta pledged to find those responsible for the attack and bring them to justice.
"We have overcome terrorist attacks before. We will defeat them again," he said on Saturday, reported Reuters.
Latest Reactions:
Saturday's terror attack has sparked concern among political circles in India. Here are some of the reactions by Indian leaders:
Narendra Modi, NDA PM candidate and Gujarat CM: "Condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the Nairobi attack & prayers with the injured," he tweeted.
Sudheendra Kulkarni, Political activist and Author: "Muslims worldwide should ponder:Don't terror attacks like the one in #Kenya create ill-will and prejudice towards Islam among non-Muslims? 1
Targeted violence, committed in the name of any religion, mustbe condemned unequivocally by all members of that religious community.#Kenya 2
Sushma Swaraj, Leader of Opposition (Lok Sabha): "Shocking details of terrorist attack in Nairobi. The humanity must unite and defeat terror," she tweeted.
Florence Imisa Weche, Kenyan High Commissioner to India: I offer my condolences for the loss of Indian families during the attack," she told ANI.
