Kerala man shot dead by Jordanian forces laid to rest, family demands probe

Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 11 (PTI) The mortal remains of Thomas Gabriel Perera, who was allegedly shot dead by the Jordanian Armed Forces while trying to enter Israel, were laid to rest at the cemetery of a church in Thumba near here on Tuesday.

The victim's body was brought to Thiruvananthapuram in the early hours of Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the family of Perera said the deceased had a valid visa and a return ticket and demanded a detailed investigation into the case.

Gabriel Perera, the victim's father, also handed over a memorandum to Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, V D Satheeshan, requesting his intervention for a thorough investigation.

The Opposition leader visited the victim's family members at St John the Baptist Church, Thumba, soon after the burial.

Satheeshan, while speaking to the media, said that more details needed to emerge as the victim's passport and other travel documents had yet to be handed over to the family.

"This incident happened under mysterious circumstances. It is very clear that Thomas had a valid visa and all other travel documents. We have requested a detailed investigation into the issue through the Embassy," Satheeshan said.

He added that significant efforts had been made to bring the mortal remains of the deceased back to Kerala, as the authorities initially denied permission to hand over the body.

After paying tributes to the victim, senior BJP leader and former Minister of State for External Affairs, V Muraleedharan, stated that the Central Government had done everything possible to bring the body back to Kerala and mentioned that he had personally spoken to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar regarding a thorough investigation into the case.

The parents maintained that the Jordanian forces shot their son in the head with the intention to kill, while another youth who was with Perera was shot in the leg.

The parents, both suffering from various ailments, said that Perera was their only source of livelihood and demanded justice for their son. They also alleged that the Jordanian authorities did not inform them about their son's death for nearly a month.

"The incident happened on January 10, and we only received the information after a month, and that too only when his wife made enquiries with the Embassy after several unsuccessful attempts to contact him," Gabriel said.

Perera had left Thiruvananthapuram for Jordan on January 5, and the last time he spoke to his mother and wife was on March 9, the family said. PTI KPK TGB KH