Suryanarayan skipped security, says firm, but mission says employer never on our database

As part of the security measures put in place after the killing of Maniyappan Kutty last November, the Embassy had asked all Indians in Afghanistan to register with them. In the same way, a general message was sent out asking all organisations and companies employing Indians to ensure this registration.

What such a database does is that it allows the Indian Embassy to maintain contact and send security advisories besides alerting Indians on security drills to be followed.

Almoayed was not on this list and neither were any of its Indian employees, including Suryanarayan.

In short, his presence in Afghanistan was not known to the Indian Embassy till the kidnapping happened. And these are the kind of issues, besides the status of investigation, that will be discussed tomorrow at a security meeting headed by Cabinet Secretary B K Chaturvedi.

To complicate matters, Almoayed in its first assessment of the incident has recorded that it was “not aware” why the engineer was “moving without any security”. While this points to a security lapse, different versions have been given to the Indian security team which returns tomorrow from Afghanistan. Consider these:

• The company’s initial report says Suryanarayan was supervising transfer of goods from Qalat to Ghazni when the pick-up truck he was travelling in was “forcefully stopped by some unknown people”. But inquiries yesterday revealed that Suryanarayan’s vehicle had broken down and the kidnapping happened thereafter. The second version is now being confirmed by other company sources.

• Altaf Lodak, chief marketing officer of Roshan, the company that had contracted Almoayed’s services told The Indian Express that the driver belonged to the Bahrain-based company. But when contacted, Almoayed spokesperson M Waji Ahamed said: “To the fullest of our knowledge, we do not have any drivers in Afghanistan.”

While investigators grapple with this, the special team led by MEA Joint Secretary KBS Katoch today sensitised Indians in Kabul to follow the security drill meticulously. Fresh advisories and drills are likely to be issued soon. After Kutty’s killing, some 300 more ITBP personnel had been sent to Afghanistan, based on a review carried by this very team.

Drills include steps like maintaining constant touch with the security base, travelling with security escorts and not using unauthorised vehicles.

The point being made now is how to reach these instructions to all Indians in Afghanistan.

While Nabeel Almoayed, chairman of the Bahrain-based group, offered all possible help to Suryanarayan’s family, the company is trying hard to make the point that it has not violated any security norm even though Suryanarayan was on official duty.