The death of four Indian sailors in a Russian missile attack is a tragic and tragic incident
In a tragic and tragic incident, four Indian sailors were killed in a Russian missile attack on a cargo vessel near the port of Odessa in Ukraine. The missile hit the vessel and caught fire, killing 10 sailors and seriously injuring four others. An Indian was also among the injured. According to media reports, M.V. The Golden Leo plane was loaded with wheat.
As soon as the vessel, which was flagged by the African country of Guinea-Bissau, left the port of Odessa, the missile hit its deck. Due to this, a fire broke out in its engine room which was controlled with great difficulty. The deceased have been identified as Abhishek Nishad, Gurpreet Singh Bhat, Akhil Joyan and Jagan Singh. Akhil Joyan and Abhishek Nishad were officer-rank sailors. Gurpreet Bhatt was from Punjab. Four of the remaining dead sailors were Syrians and two Europeans.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has lodged a strong protest with the Russian government over the aforementioned attack. In a statement issued without naming Russia, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, "The Government of India has always been vocal against the targeting of commercial shipping during wars. It is not in any way justifiable that India should be dragged into the Ukrainian Russian war. However, this is the first time that Indian sailors have lost their lives in the four-and-a-half-year-long war between Russia and Ukraine.
Earlier, 11 Indian sailors were killed in the war in West Asia in the last two months. Seven of these sailors were killed in attacks on merchant vessels or oil tankers, and four others were in Kuwait or the UAE. Iranian drone strikes on oil refineries in the U.S. have resulted in the loss of lives. The company that owns MV Golden Leo is said to be Indian. It is headquartered in Mumbai. Despite being owned by India, it operates its ships under the banner of Guinea-Bissau as a way to reduce tax rates and international revenues. Through this methodology, the major shipping companies of different countries have been able to increase their profits. It is a different matter that this methodology does not much protect the interests of seafarers in terms of monetary compensation.
The main reason for the high number of deaths of Indians in the shipping sector is the abundance of Indians in terms of the number of seafarers. Currently, more than three lakh Indian nationals are employed in commercial shipping. In fact, India is the third country after the Philippines and China to provide more ships to international shipping. Of the 3 lakh Indian seafarers, 1.10 lakh belong to the officer cadre. There are a large number of vessels whose captains and chief engineers are Indian nationals, and the rest are from Filipino or other countries. In fact, in view of the growing demand for Indian seafarers, the Government of India has set a target of 4 lakh such trained personnel by the year 2030.
Despite better employment opportunities and better wages, the risks associated with commercial shipping are also high. Previously, such shipping was more at risk than pirates; Now the expansion of war arenas is a threat to the lives of the sailors. In the context of this fear, the Government of India should take a tougher stance. Instead of being confined to statements, it should become a permanent practice to collect reparations from every aggressor state. Russia is a friend of India. But his silence on the Indian casualties is not a sign of friendship. He should be made to realise that the life of every Indian citizen is precious in the eyes of the Government of India.
