Suryanarayana's wife attempts suicide

Hyderabad: Manjula, the widow of slain telecom engineer Suryanarayana, tried to kill herself late on Monday evening, just hours before his body was brought to Hyderabad for last rites.

On coming to know of a woman, claiming to be the second wife of the slain engineer, depressed Manjula allegedly consumed phenoyl and swooned, police sources said.

She was rushed to a nearby private hospital for treatment and was in the intensive care unit.

Meanwhile, the body of Suryanarayana -- who was killed by the Taliban after being kidnapped -- was brought to New Delhi on Monday evening from Afghanistan en route his hometown Hyderabad.

An Indian Airlines flight IC-844 carrying the body of the slain engineer, which was accompanied by officials of the Ministry of External Affairs and representatives of the Bahrain-based al-Moayed company for which he worked, landed in Delhi at 1515 hrs (IST).

The body was received at the airport by MEA officials and representatives of the Andhra Pradesh government.

Wreaths were placed on the casket covered in the Indian tricolour on behalf of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy.

A wreath was also placed by All India Anti-Terrorist Front President M S Bitta.

The body was later flown to his hometown Hyderabad on an Indian Airlines flight IC 839, which was accompanied by President of the al-Moayed Group V P Ajan, CEO Pankaj Sehgal and General Manager Sachin Singh.

"We are shocked at the whole incident and stand by the family of Suryanarayana in this hour of crisis," Sehgal said.

Suryanarayana, who was working on a project in Zabul in Afghanistan, was kidnapped by Taliban militia on last Friday. The beheaded body of the telecom engineer was found by a police patrol on Sunday morning in the Hassan Karez area of southern Zabul province.

Meanwhile, condemning the killing of Suryanarayana, Union minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi on Monday said the government was not given a chance to negotiate.

"The dastardly act was done even before the 'special team' could hold discussions with the abductors," he said, adding "the government had made it clear that the abductors never gave a chance to negotiate."

Asked about the allegation that India did not act fast enough to free the engineer, Ravi said: "Such matters are of national importance. Do not make it a political controversy and try to get some political mileage out of this. They should be dealt as a national challenge."

On reports that promises including a job for a family member of Maniapppan, who was killed by the Taliban in November, has not been fulfilled, Ravi said: "I have also read the report in the newspaper. I shall enquire into it. I do not know what was agreed upon."