Bhubaneswar: The BJD chief, Naveen Patnaik, on Saturday sought the personal intervention of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for the early and safe release of an Odisha resident allegedly abducted by militants in the West African country of Mali.

Twenty-eight-year-old P Venkataramana is a resident of Patnaik’s Assembly constituency Hinjili from where he has been elected for six consecutive terms since 2000. Taking to X, Patnaik said: “Concerned to know that P Venkataramana of Hinjilicut block of Ganjam district has been kidnapped by extremists in the African country Mali. He has remained incommunicado since then, leaving his family in deep agony. Request Union minister (@MEABharat) Shri @DrSJaishankar to personally intervene in the matter and secure his early and safe release.”

“We are closely coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy about the incident and are waiting for their response,” Vishal Gagan, Principal Resident Commissioner of Odisha in New Delhi, said. After a social media clip about the alleged abduction surfaced, the Resident Commissioner’s office contacted the Indian Embassy in Mali for urgent action, he added.