The families of four Indian teachers — all friends and colleagues — who were kidnapped in Libya by a group owing allegiance to the Islamic State on Wednesday evening, struggled with contrasting emotions on Friday, with officials announcing the release of two of them. Officials said that Laxmikant Ramakrishna (37) of Raichur and Mulbagil Vijay Kumar (56) of Bengaluru had been released but there’s “no information” about T Gopikrishna (38) and K Balram (36). Welcome news from Libya. 2 of the 4 detained Indians brought back safely to University of Sirte. Our efforts continue for the remaining two. — Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) July 31, 2015 All of them worked for the University of Sirte in northern Libya and had planned to travel by car to Tripoli airport, fly to Tunis in neighbouring Tunisia and onward to New Delhi or Mumbai. But they were “detained” at a checkpoint, about 50 km from Sirte, in an area that is believed to be under the control of the IS, officials said. [related-post] On Friday evening, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted: “Welcome news from Libya. 2 of the 4 detained Indians brought back safely to University of Sirte. Our efforts continue for the remaining two.” Soon, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted: “I am happy we have been able to secure the release of Lakshmikant (sic) and Vijay Kumar. Trying for other two.” South Block officials said Laxmikant and Vijay Kumar had been brought back to Sirte, located between Tripoli and Benghazi, and confirmed that there had been no ransom demand yet for the other two. “We are in regular touch with the families concerned and all efforts are being made to ensure their well-being,” said the MEA spokesperson. However, that was hardly any consolation for the families of Gopikrishna, an assistant professor in computer science, and Balram, an assistant professor in English, who started working at the university about seven years ago. Both were among the hundreds of Indians evacuated from Libya last August after the fighting among militias in the country worsened. However, they left for Sirte in September after classes resumed at the university, their family members said. “We have been undergoing torture since Thursday afternoon when I came to know that my husband had been kidnapped. There is still no information about him. I request the Indian government to get him released as quickly as possible,’’ said Kalyani, wife of Gopikrishna. “They usually come to India every year from July-end to September during the university vacations. In fact, they had booked their tickets to come to India just last week,” she added. Gopikrishna hails from Tekkali in Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district and is settled with his family, including two school-going children, a boy and a girl, in Nacharam on the outskirts of Hyderabad. Balram is from Siddipet in Telangana and has a house at Thirumalgiri in Hyderabad. Balram and his wife Sridevi have two sons, both school students. “The last time I spoke with him, he assured me that since they had hired a car to go to Tripoli, they wouldn’t face any problem. He told me that he would call as soon as he was near Tripoli but since Thursday morning there has been no contact,” said Sridevi. In Karnataka, meanwhile, the families of Laxmikant, an assistant professor at the EE Engineering College of the University of Sirte, and Vijay Kumar, head of the English department, were informed by officials on Friday evening about the release. “Luckily, my brother was released this evening. We will celebrate when he returns,” Laxmikant’s younger brother, Pavan Kumar, told The Indian Express from the family home in Raichur, around 350 km from Bengaluru. Laxmikant was returning home to see his six-month-old baby girl for the first time. The son of a former bank employee, he has a doctorate for research work in instrumentation technology and was teaching at the Gulbarga University before joining the University of Sirte in 2009. An avid photographer, Laxmikant’s online profiles reveal that he had travelled widely through Libya and the neighbouring regions over the past six years. During a summer break from the university in 2011, Laxmikant married an ayurvedic doctor in Raichur. “My brother and sister-in-law used live in Sirte. A year ago, my sister-in-law who was pregnant came back to Raichur for her delivery. My brother was very eager to see his daughter this time. The news of his safe release has come as a big relief,” Pavan Kumar said. Bengaluru-based Vijay Kumar, meanwhile, is a doctorate holder in Education with post-graduate degrees in English, European History and Education, and a double graduate degree to his name. “His wife Sunitha was so scared after she heard about the kidnapping that she rushed off on a pilgrimage to pray for her husband’s safe release. Her prayers have been answered,” Vijay Kumar’s brother, Hemanth, said.
