Chennai, Feb 22 (IANS) It was a happy Sunday for the family of Father Alexis Prem Kumar when they got news of his release from captivity in Afghanistan after eight months -- and from Prime Minister Narendra Modi no less.
"We are extremely happy to hear the news. We thank the government of India and the government of Tamil Nadu for taking efforts in securing his release," Albert Manoharan, brother of Father Alexis Prem Kumar told IANS over phone.
He said Prime Minister Modi spoke to his father and sister Sunday and said Prem Kumar will be back in Delhi Sunday evening.
"It is a great Sunday surprise gift for us," John Joseph, another brother of Prem Kumar, told IANS.
He was all praise for Modi and the central government.
"It is a government that works even on Sundays. We thank the central government, and Prime Minister Modi for the great job," Joseph said.
He said his father and sister plan to leave for Delhi Sunday.
Modi had earlier tweeted about the safe release of Prem Kumar who was kidnapped June 2, 2014 from Herat province in Afghanistan.
His family in Tamil Nadu had been praying for his safe return.
The Jesuit priest, head of NGO Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), was abducted from Zendjan district while he was visiting a project site.
He was visiting a school for Afghan refugee children and had just returned from a trip to Iran and Pakistan.
Before moving to Afghanistan four years ago, Prem Kumar had worked for the JRS, serving Sri Lankan refugees living in Tamil Nadu.
JRS has been working in Afghanistan since 2005 accompanying returnees home from exile in Iran and Pakistan and providing education and healthcare services in Bamiyan, Kabul and Herat. In 2013, more than 6,000 vulnerable people from disadvantaged communities benefitted from these services.
Jhansi Medical College fire incident: 75 minutes of investigation... five and a half hours of interrogation; this reason for the fire came to light
A four-member team from Lucknow arrived on Monday to find out the reasons behind the fire in the Special Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (SNCU) of Jhansi Maharani Laxmibai Medical College on Friday. The
Naturo Food targets Rs.100 crore revenue by 2017
Chennai, Feb 25 (IANS) Targeting a turnover of Rs.100 crore by 2017, Chittoor-based Naturo Food and Fruit Products will be introducing a range of fruit-based products, a senior official said here
US Capitol Riot: Two years of US Capitol violence, Biden said- 'American democracy was attacked'
Two years have passed since the attack on the US Parliament. Regarding the Capitol Hill violence (US Capitol Riot), US President Joe Biden said that two years ago i.e. on January 6, 2021, the
PM Modi Pithoragarh Visit: PM Modi is coming to Pithoragarh, preparations intensified; Picture of Jageshwar Dham will change
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to visit Uttarakhand soon. Preparations for PM Modi have intensified. The Prime Minister can reach Jageshwar before Pithoragarh. On Wednesday, the administration
IND vs ENG: Rohit Sharma revealed the major shortcomings of the Indian team despite the victory over England, said - 'We made this mistake'
The Indian team on Sunday registered its sixth consecutive win by defeating defending champions England by 100 runs in the 29th match of the World Cup 2023. Despite this spectacular victory, Indian
Defence ministry under monkey-attack: Parrikar
Panaji, March 8 (IANS) Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Sunday that his ministry is under "attack" by monkeys, adding that two army personnel were always on duty outside his office to
Rahul not allowed to work independently: Digvijay Singh
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi is not being allowed to function independently, party general secretary Digvijay Singh said Wednesday."He feels that he is not being
Turkey Earthquake: President Erdogan was forced to change strategy due to the earthquake, what assurance is he giving to the public now?
The devastating earthquake that hit Turkey on February 6 left millions of people homeless. Thousands of houses have turned into a pile of rubble. More than 50 people have died and damages have been
Manmohan Singh: Goodbye Manmohan Singh! A phone call that changed the country and the life of the former PM; the story is from 1991
Former Prime Minister of the country Manmohan Singh died on the night of 26 December at around 10 pm. Born on 26 September 1932 in Pakistan, Manmohan Singh's biggest day in life came in June 1991.
20 houses and fields washed away in Chukum village of Ramnagar, help is not reaching due to rising water level of Kosi
The rain of calamity has stopped in Uttarakhand. Now slowly the reality of the loss is coming to the fore. The situation in the revenue village Chukum, situated between the forest and the river in
