Mukul Arya, India’s representative at Ramallah, passes away

It was not immediately known how he died.

Deeply shocked to learn about the passing away of India’s Representative at Ramallah, Shri Mukul Arya.

He was a bright and talented officer with so much before him. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones.
Om Shanti.

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) March 6, 2022

In his mid-30s, Arya, a career diplomat of 2008 batch Indian Foreign Service, had served at the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi, in addition to serving at the Permanent Delegation of India to UNESCO in Paris, and at the Embassies of India in Kabul and Moscow.

He was raised and educated in Delhi, studied Economics at Delhi University and JNU, before joining the Indian Foreign Service in 2008.

Palestine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants said in a statement, “We received with great astonishment and shock the news of the death of the Ambassador of the Republic of India to the State of Palestine, Mukul Arya, and we express great sadness, loss and pain at his death.”

It said that they were in contact with the Indian Foreign Ministry to complete arrangements for transporting the mortal remains of the ambassador to his country.

Palestine’s President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh issued immediate instructions to all security, police and public authorities, in addition to the Ministry of Health and Forensic Medicine, to complete the formalities.

The authorities were asked to immediately move to the residence of the Indian ambassador in Ramallah. To find out more about the death, the statement said, that all parties are fully prepared to do what is required of them in such difficult and emergency circumstances.

Former Indian ambassador to Afghanistan, Amar Sinha, tweeted, “That is shocking. He was in Kabul with me. Condolences to his family. Om Shanti.”