Thiruvananthapuram: Leader of Opposition in Kerala Assembly V D Satheesan on Sunday sought the intervention of the central government to ensure the safety of Indians stranded in Kazakhstan, which has been rocked by violent protests over rising fuel prices, and to take necessary steps to bring them back.

Satheesan, in a letter to Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar, stated that there are numerous Keralites, including students who are stuck in that country.

Since the outbreak of protests, internet services in the Central Asian nation have been suspended and the Keralites living there are unable to get in touch with their families back home in India, he said.

"... We urge the External Affairs Ministry to set up a help desk to assist the Indians there," Satheesan said in a release sharing details of the letter.

The unrest began in Kazakhstan's far west as protests over a sharp rise in prices of LPG that is widely used as vehicle fuel began on January 2 and spread throughout the country, apparently reflecting discontent extending beyond the fuel prices.

Authorities there say security forces killed 26 demonstrators during this week's unrest and that 18 law enforcement officers died.