Patna: A professor from Patna who says he has been stranded in Libya for nearly 14 years has written to the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, seeking urgent intervention to facilitate his return to India.
Sanjeev Dhari Sinha, a resident of Phulwari Sharif in Patna, has also taken to social media to highlight his situation, drawing growing attention at the local level and renewed calls for diplomatic assistance.
Sinha says he travelled to Libya in 2013 for employment and worked at two universities over the course of his stay. According to him, his circumstances deteriorated from 2018–19 onwards, leaving him in what he describes as a “hostage-like” situation.
He is currently associated with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Al-Mergib University in Musallata. However, he alleges that he has not been paid a proper salary and has been denied legal entitlements linked to his visa status and employment contract.
In his appeal, Sinha claims he has repeatedly approached Libyan ministries, the United Nations mission in the country, human rights organisations, and India’s Ministry of External Affairs over the years, but says no concrete resolution has been reached. He has also alleged negligence on the part of some officials at the Indian embassy, claims that have not been independently verified.
Sinha further alleges that he has been living in difficult conditions, facing deprivation of basic amenities and repeated instances of harassment. He also claims that he was pressured into entering a forced marriage while in Libya.
He says his return to India is being blocked due to the absence of an exit visa, which he states is mandatory for departure under local regulations.
The professor also said that during the course of his prolonged ordeal he lost both of his parents, yet has continued to seek assistance in order to return home.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian embassy in Libya have not publicly responded to his latest claims.
Sinha has now appealed directly to the prime minister for intervention, expressing hope that the government will help secure his safe repatriation after more than a decade abroad under disputed and difficult circumstances.
