MEA: Will keep track of UN probe into Col Vaibhav Kale’s killing
Sandeep Dikshit
New Delhi, May 17
In contrast to sending investigation teams to probe violence at its missions in San Francisco and London, on the issue of the killing of Col Vaibhav Kale (retd), the Minstry of External Affairs said it will not set up an enquiry of its own but will be in touch with fact-finding probes set up by various agencies, including the United Nations and the Israeli Defence Forces.
Talks to be held with US over Chabahar
The MEA has said it would remove misgivings in Washington about the development of the Chabahar port by pointing out its wider benefits for the region, especially Afghanistan and the landlocked countries of Central Asia
Last rites held in Pune
The last rites of Colonel Kale were performed in Pune on Friday with full state honours. Earlier in the day, his mortal remains arrived at his residence in Kalyaninagar
“The UN has set up a fact-finding panel. On our side, we remain in touch with all the agencies regarding the investigation,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal when asked about the Indian response to the killing.
Meanwhile, senior officials from the Indian Embassy in Tel Aviv, the UN and the Israel government on Friday paid their last respects to Colonel Kale’s mortal remains. Another staffer from the UN Department of Safety and Security (DSS) from Jordan was injured when their UN-marked vehicle was hit by gunfire while they were moving out from the European Hospital in Gaza on Monday morning.
In a special gesture, the UN sent Indian peacekeepers to Tel Aviv to honour Colonel Kale. An Israeli flag was kept alongside the Indian tricolour in front of his photograph although the UN suspects he was killed by fire from an Israeli tank.
