Indian student, who went missing last month, found dead in London river, relatives launch fundraiser
London, Dec 1: A 23-Indian student who went missing in the UK last month has been found dead in the river Thames here.
Mitkumar Patel arrived in the UK for higher studies in September and was reported missing on November 17.
The Metropolitan Police discovered his body in the river Thames near the Canary Wharf area of east London on November 21 and was declared dead by paramedics.
"The death is not believed to be suspicious," the Met Police said.
Parth Patel, a relative, has since launched a Go Fund Me online fundraiser and raised over GBP 4,500 since last week.
"Mitkumar Patel was a 23-year (old) boy who came to the UK for higher studies on 19th September 2023," reads the fundraising appeal.
"He belonged to a farmer family and used to live in a village as well. He was missing from November 17, 2023. Now on November 21 police found his dead body from Canary Wharf in the water. It was sad for all of us. So, we decided to do fund raising for helping out his family and to send his body to India as well," it adds.
The appeal reiterates that the funds will be safely transmitted to Mitkumar's family in India.
According to the Evening Standard' newspaper, the student was due to move to Sheffield on November 20 to start a degree at Sheffield Hallam University and a part-time job at Amazon.
After he failed to return from a daily walk to the home where he was staying in London, his relatives grew worried and reported him missing. They later found that he had left his set of keys behind.
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Officially take stand against guarantee schemes, seek its withdrawal in Assembly: Shivakumar to BJP
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday challenged the opposition BJP to officially take a stand as a party against the five guarantee schemes, and to formally make a statement in the Legislative Assembly asking the government to withdraw them.
He said that if the BJP clarifies its official stand during the ongoing Budget session, the matter can be discussed in detail.
The Deputy CM said this while BJP MLA B Suresh Gowda was speaking during the discussion on the state budget in the Assembly.
Asking the government to revisit the guarantee schemes ('Shakti', 'Gruha Lakshmi', 'Gruha Jyoti', 'Yuva Nidhi' and 'Anna Bhagya'), the MLA urged the government to withdraw these schemes from affluent people and divert the funds toward developmental work.
"You (BJP) members are individually sharing your opinion in the Assembly. You tell your decision to us as a party in the Assembly to revisit or withdraw the guarantee schemes. Let's discuss. Since it's your party's opinion, we cannot say it's wrong right away. Let's discuss. If you do it during this Budget session itself, we will discuss it," Shivakumar said.
Gowda replied to Shivakumar by saying that it was the Congress' decision to announce and implement the guarantee schemes, why drag BJP into it, take a decision as a government.
Reacting to it, Shivakumar said, "After the guarantees announcement was made (following the 2023 assembly polls), Yediyurappa (BJP veteran and former CM) had said that the five schemes should be implemented without any shortcoming, so all the schemes were implemented within six months. We have heard you (BJP) too, while implementing the schemes."
Further claiming that unlike in Karnataka, only ruling party workers benefit in BJP-ruled Assam, he said, "Congress people and supporters don't get any benefits there."
Accepting that the guarantee schemes are not needed for those well off, government officials, and others, he said, "We have taken a decision, various suggestions are coming. As a political party you (BJP) come to a decision. We will discuss that....give it officially."
Revenue Minister Priyank Kharge intervened and said, "Let the BJP as its official party, stand say -- withdraw five guarantee schemes."
