Patiala: Father of a Burundi student, who was severely beaten up three months ago in Jalandhar and was lying in coma, has sought financial help from Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to repatriate his son back home.
On April 22, 23-year-old Yannick Nihangaza, a student of a private university, was going to a party in Jalandhar when he was attacked by few persons. Yannick was stoned and severely thrashed and was left on the roadside.
Nestor Ntibateganya, father of the youth has written two letters in last five days asking chief minister to intervene into the matter. He wants the government to help fly Yannick back to Burundi and pay for the medical expenses for rest of his life.
Nestor, who was running from pillar to post for help, told a news agency that "Punjab government has not bothered to answer his letter regarding help till now." He requested the chief minister to do "all you can humanly do to help repatriate my son, now in a persistent vegetative state, to his home country and pay for his medical care."
"In a country that I believe is a civilised one, and where the laws of the land should be respected and evil be punished...The killers who stoned my innocent son and left him assuming dead are known and still free," he wrote.
Those who know the family say that Yannick, the youth "who survived the Burundian genocide and 13-year civil war, came to India to pursue his studies and instead has had his life snuffed out."
The Deputy Commissioner of Patiala GK Singh, when contacted, said it was the matter of Jalandhar and moreover "we have no role to play in it. He should approach his Embassy." When asked about the financial help, he said that it was the prerogative of chief minster to release such funds.
PTI
First Published: Friday, July 06, 2012, 09:43