Bengaluru, Oct. 24 -- Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has sought urgent intervention of the Ministry of External Affairs for the safe and early repatriation of over 600 Umrah pilgrims from Karnataka stranded in the holy cities of Makkah and Madina in Saudi Arabia.

In a letter addressed to Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, dated 23.10.2026, the Chief Minister said the pilgrims are stranded following the suspension of return flights to Bengaluru and other parts of India amid the escalating security situation in the Middle East.

"The Chairman of the Karnataka State Haj Committee and his team, who recently visited the holy cities, have also reported that several pilgrims are facing severe hardship due to the disruption of...