The external affairs ministry said on Tuesday that Mukul Arya, the country’s representative in Palestine, died of natural causes, dismissing speculative reports about the nature of his death.
Arya was found dead in his office premises on Sunday.
Responding to media queries regarding Mukul Arya’s death, external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said: “We have seen some irresponsible comments on the passing away of Shri Mukul Arya, representative of India in Ramallah.”
Bagchi added, “He died of natural causes. We urge that the tragic demise of a young diplomat be treated with decency and respect.”
An officer of the 2008 batch of the Indian Foreign Service, Arya had served in the Indian embassies in Afghanistan and Russia. He also did a stint with India’s permanent delegation to UNESCO in Paris.
In a tweet on Sunday, external affairs minister S Jaishankar described Arya as a “bright and talented officer with so much before him”. He added, “My heart goes out to his family and loved ones.”
The Palestinian foreign ministry had said that as soon as officials received the news of Arya’s death, instructions were issued by President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh to security, police and public authorities and the ministry of health and forensic medicine to “immediately move to the place of residence of the Indian ambassador to closely monitor the case of death”.
{{/usCountry}}The Palestinian foreign ministry had said that as soon as officials received the news of Arya’s death, instructions were issued by President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh to security, police and public authorities and the ministry of health and forensic medicine to “immediately move to the place of residence of the Indian ambassador to closely monitor the case of death”.
{{/usCountry}}Palestinian foreign minister Riyad Al-Maliki had extended condolences to Jaishankar, the Indian government and Arya’s family.
Mukul Arya was raised and educated in Delhi, studied Economics at Delhi University and Jawaharlal Nehru University, before joining the Indian Foreign Service in 2008, according to the website of the Representative Office of India in Ramallah, Palestine.