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86 Indians attacked or killed abroad in 2023; most assaults in US, UK and Canada: Centre
Of the 86 Indian nationals attacked or murdered in 2023, 12 were in the US, 10 each were in Canada, the UK and Saudi Arabia.
Minister of state for external affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh on Thursday informed Parliament that eighty-six Indian nationals were attacked or killed in various countries in 2023.
In his written response to a query, the minister shared country-wise data, with figures showing 29 cases in 2021, 57 in 2022, and 86 in 2023.
Of the 86 Indian nationals attacked or murdered in 2023, 12 were in the United States, and 10 each were in Canada, the United Kindom and Saudi Arabia, according to the shared data.
“The safety and security of Indians abroad is one of the foremost priorities for the government of India. Our missions and posts remain vigilant and closely monitor any untoward incident. Such incidents are immediately taken up with the concerned authorities of the host country to ensure that the cases are properly investigated and the perpetrators are punished,” said Kirti Vardhan Singh.
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These issues are also raised during meetings with the government officials of the countries concerned, “including at the highest levels as appropriate,” the minister said.
In a separate query, he was asked about the number of Indian citizens who voluntarily surrendered their citizenships over the last five years, along with state-wise and year-wise data, and the reasons for surrender.
“As per the information available with the Ministry, the number of Indians who gave up their Indian citizenship was 1,44,017 (in 2019); 85,256 (in 2020); 1,63,370 (in 2021); 2,25,620 (in 2022); and 2,16,219 (in 2023). For reference purpose, data was 1,22,819 (in 2011); 1,20,923 (in 2012); 1,31,405 (in 2013); 1,29,328 (in 2014); 1,31,489 (in 2015); 1,41,603 (in 2016); 1,33,049 (in 2017); 1,34,561 (in 2018),” he said in his response.
State-wise distribution of people who renounced Indian citizenship for foreign citizenships is not available, he added.
In his response, he also shared the names of several countries whose citizenships were acquired by Indians.
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These include 135 countries, such as Algeria, Australia, Austria, Greece, Iran, Iraq, China, Pakistan, Republic of Korea, the US, the UK, and Ukraine, as per the list of countries shared in his response.
In response to a separate query, he shared the number of Indian fishermen arrested and assets seized by both Pakistan and Sri Lankan authorities in the last five years.
In 2023, the number of Indian fishermen detained by Sri Lankan authorities was 240, while the figure for 2024 was 535.
In 2023, the number of Indian fishing boats detained by Sri Lankan authorities was 35, while the figure for 2024 was 71, according to the data shared.
Last year, the number of Indian fishermen detained by Pakistan authorities was nine, while the figure for this year stood at 19 (till July 1, 2024), according to the data.
With PTI inputs
