Requested MEA to bring back remains of Kerala man killed at Jordan-Israel border: Tharoor

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday said he has asked the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to bring back the remains of a Kerala man who was shot dead by Jordanian security forces at the Israel-Jordan border last month.

Thomas Gabriel from Thiruvananthapuram was part of a four-member group attempting to cross the border from Jordan into Israel with the help of an agent. The Jordanian army intercepted them at the border. As they attempted to escape, the soldiers opened fire in which Gabriel was killed.

"I have written to the MEA and the Embassy, requesting urgent action to expedite the return of the mortal remains to the family in Thiruvananthapuram," Tharoor, who is also the chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, said.

"This is a most unfortunate and tragic situation. Thomas Gabriel from my constituency was shot dead apparently by Jordanian security forces at the border with Israel. We are not fully aware of the circumstances. Unscrupulous agents seem to have misled him. The family wants the body back," said Tharoor, a four-time sitting Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram.