Guj govt writes to MHA over death of fisherman in Pak jail

Vadodara: The Gujarat government has written a letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), urging it to initiate a process to bring back a state fisherman's body from Pakistan, where he died in a jail last month.

Gujarat Fisheries Commissioner K R Patni said the state government wrote the letter to the MHA on Tuesday.

Nanubhai Kanabhai Solanki (45), a fisherman from Karjadi village in Una tehsil in the state's Gir Somnath district, was arrested by Pakistan maritime authorities on November 11 last year for allegedly straying into the neighbouring country's waters.

A postcard dated September 30 sent by Vijay Vaja, Solanki's cellmate, informing about the latter's death was received by the deceased's wife last week. Vaja wrote that Solanki had died in a jail in Karachi on September 15.

Jethiben Solanki (42), the deceased fisherman's wife, has earlier said that neither the jail authorities in Pakistan nor anyone from India's Ministry of External Affairs had contacted her in connection with her husband's death.

Talking to PTI on Wednesday, Patni said, "In the letter, the state government has requested the MHA to take up the issue of Solanki's death with Pakistan and initiate the process to bring back his body."