Indian engineer beheaded by Taliban

New Delhi: Abducted engineer Suryanarayana is dead and his body has been found near Kandahar, Rakesh Sood, Indian Ambassador to Afghanistan, said.

Suryanarayana was kidnapped by Taliban militia on Friday.

The beheaded body was dumped near Kandahar, according to The Associated Press.

Taliban was demanding the eviction of all Indian workers from Afghanistan and had given a 24-hour deadline, which was to end at 1900 hours (IST) on Sunday.

Qari Yousaf Ahmadi, who releases regular statements on behalf of the outlawed Taliban fighters, said they killed Suryanarayana when he tried to escape and fought with his captors.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has condemned the inhuman killing of Suryanarayana and has asked Indians to fight a united war against terrorism.

Singh's media adviser Sanjay Baru said, "The Government will do whatever is required to support the family. The Prime Minister has strongly condemned the heinous act by the Taliban."

Expressing his shock, President A P J Abdul Kalam termed the killing of Suryanarayana as "inhuman" and "highly condemnable". He also assured the family all assistance, Kalam's Press Secretary S M Khan said.

Spokesperson for Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, Khalid Ahmed, said, "Our enemies do not want us to succeed. A commission will be formed to ensure the safety of everyone who are helping in the reconstruction of Afghanistan. Taliban is not a threat to Afghanistan."

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran said, “In Afghanistan, there are several private companies in which Indians are employed. And everyone should take precautions there. Now, whether any precautions were taken by this company or not is being investigated.”

Suryanarayana, aged in his early 40s, had been employed in Afghanistan since January by a Bahrain-based company, al-Moayed.

The company has been contracted by an Afghan mobile phone company, Roshan, to expand its mobile phone network across volatile provinces in southern Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for Suryanarayana’s family. Reddy also said Suryanarayana’s wife will be given a government job.

Suryanarayana's employer al-Moayed has announced a compensation of Rs 20 lakh to his family and has undertook the responsibility of the education of his three children.

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Hailing Suryanarayana as a "martyr" al-Moayed said its head office in Baharain and all its international offices will remain closed on Tuesday while its India office will be shut for three days as a mark of respect to the departed soul.

Suryanarayana's body will be brought back to India on Monday morning by an Indian Airlines flight to Delhi and thereon it will be taken to Hyderabad.

Taliban militants had abducted Suryanarayana at gunpoint at 1900 hrs (IST) on Friday as he was driving on the Kandahar-Kabul highway in the Hassan Kariez district of southern Zabul province, said Ali Khail, a provincial government spokesman.

Suryanarayana's family had appealed to Reddy on Sunday to ensure his safe release.

Reddy had told the family that the state government had no control over this matter. However, he had assured the family of all possible help.

Qari Yousaf Ahmadi, who releases regular statements on behalf of Taliban had accused the Indian engineer of being an American spy.

This is the third such incident targeting an Indian in Afghanistan in the past four months.

In November 2005, truck driver Maniappan Raman Kutty's almost decapitated body was dumped in another volatile southern province, Nimroz.

In February Indian engineer Bharath Kumar, working with a Turkish firm, was killed in a bomb blast. There are many Indians working in Afghanistan who have also received death threats from the Taliban in the recent past.

The Indian Government had taken up the issue of security of Indians working in Afghanistan with President Hamid Karzai when he was in New Delhi earlier this month.

(With inputs from P Revathi and Sakthy Edamaruku)