As many as 86 Indian nationals were attacked or murdered in various countries in 2023, the External Affairs Ministry informed Parliament.

In a reply to a question by Lok Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh shared the data on Thursday, December 12.

The number of Indians attacked in 2021 was 29, which increased to 57 in 2022 and 86 in 2023, the reply by MoS Kirti Vardhan Singh highlighted.

In 2023, out of the 86 Indian nationals who were attacked or murdered, 12 incidents took place in the US, while 10 happened in Canada, the UK and Saudi Arabia, as per the data shared.

“The safety and security of Indians abroad is one of the foremost priorities for the government of India. Our Missions and Posts remain vigilant and closely monitor any untoward incident. Such incidents are immediately taken up with the concerned authorities of the host country to ensure that the cases are properly investigated and the perpetrators are punished,” MoS Kirti Vardhan Singh said in his reply.

These issues are also raised during meetings with the government officials of the countries concerned, “including at the highest levels as appropriate”, the minister said.

In his reply, Singh also highlighted that the Centre has established a “24×7 helpline in the Indian Missions/Posts abroad” to tender all possible consular assistance to Indian nationals.

In a separate reply, the government also informed Parliament that 2,16,219 Indians gave up their citizenship. The number was 2,25,620 in 2022, as per the government’s reply.

(With inputs from Mohit Babbar in New Delhi)