Missing Indian student's mother seeks Centre's help

The mother of a 19-year old Indian student missing since New Year eve from Manchester in United Kingdom today made an impassioned plea to the Centre for its intervention in locating her son.

The family of Souvik Pal, hailing from Kolkata and living here, has written to External Affairs Minister Salman Khusrhid and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee seeking their help, the boy's mother Mahuya Pal told PTI.

A sobbing Mahuya also sought help of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi in the matter.

"My heart is filled with grief. I am awaiting his return. I humbly appeal to the Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi to help my son get back to me," she said.

Pal, a product designing student at Manchester Metropolitan University, went missing on the night of December 31, 2012 while attending a new year party and was last seen trudging from the party venue.

His father has rushed to U.K. after hearing about his son's disappearance.

Mahuya also said she would be writing to Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar seeking his help.

She said she was not suspecting any foul play because Souvik was a brilliant student and had been awarded by the Vice-Chancellor of Manchester Metropolitan University for his creativity in product design course.

"Souvik used to call us and say he was happy studying in Manchester along with good friends. It is been three months since he has been staying in Manchester and I don't think he would have had any rivalry with anybody," she said.

"When it was 12 midnight IST (on December 31), Souvik called me. He wished me and told me that he was going for a party," she recalled.

Souvik chose Manchester because of the "fantastic facilities," she added.

British Police had on January 2 informed the family that Souvik was missing and that one of his friends had filed a complaint. "We have been in constant touch with the police but we have not heard anything reassuring from them," she said.

On December 26, 2011, Indian student Anuj Bidve, 23, was shot dead in an unprovoked attack on a Salford street in Manchester by a 20-year-old Briton, Kiaran Stapleton, who described himself as 'Psycho Stapleton'.