Mukul Arya, India's envoy to Palestine, found dead; Jaishankar expresses deep shock

New Delhi: Mukul Arya, India's representative at the Palestinian city of Ramallah, was on Sunday (March 7) found dead inside the Indian embassy in Palestine.

It was not immediately known how Arya, a 2008-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, died. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said the Indian ambassador died at his workplace in Ramallah. They have established contacts with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to complete the arrangements for transporting the body to India.

"As soon as this painful news arrived, immediate instructions were issued from President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh to all the security, police and public authorities, in addition to 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," the Palestinian foreign ministry said in a statement.

It further added that "all parties are fully prepared to do what is required of them in such difficult and emergency circumstances."

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reacted to the sudden death and expressed his deep shock.

"Deeply shocked to learn about the passing away of India`s Representative at Ramallah, Shri Mukul Arya. He was a bright and talented officer with so much before him. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones. Om Shanti," Jaishankar said in a tweet.

Deeply shocked to learn about the passing away of India’s Representative at Ramallah, Shri Mukul Arya.

He was a bright and talented officer with so much before him. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones.
Om Shanti. — Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) March 6, 2022

Arya had served in the Indian embassies in Kabul, Moscow as well as at the headquarters of the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi. He also served at India's Permanent Delegation to the UNESCO in Paris.

Arya had studied economics at the Delhi University and Jawaharlal Nehru University before joining the Indian Foreign Service in 2008.

(With agency inputs)