Captain of ship attacked in Hormuz dead or alive? SC seeks report from government
The Supreme Court has instructed the Union government to look into the baffling case of Capt Ashish Kumar's disappearance. His wife presented a petition with ransom calls and WhatsApp messages hinting at his possible survival. After DNA tests disproved his presumed death following a ship attack, the court is now requesting a status report on the efforts to locate him from the Solicitor General by…
In a striking twist, the Supreme Court of India has demanded the Union government's swift action to clear the unresolved fate of Capt Ashish Kumar, the captain of the MT Skylight ship. The tragedy unfolded on March 1, 2022, when a missile attack left the vessel ablaze, leaving the captain's fate shrouded in uncertainty. He was initially declared dead after the discovery of his skeletal remains in the charred cabin of the ship.
However, subsequent DNA tests contradicted this, indicating that the remains were not those of the captain. His wife, Anshu Kumari, has taken the matter to the apex court, disputing the official declaration of his demise. She presented compelling evidence that the captain is alive, potentially held captive, based on the receipt of ransom calls demanding Rs 20 lakh, as well as WhatsApp messages sent from his phone hours after the ship was destroyed.
She further highlighted that the captain's phone number was manually deleted on March 31, 2022, suggesting active usage of the device post the incident. Despite these irrefutable signs of life and potential extortion, the government has so far failed to launch a targeted investigation or employ diplomatic channels to locate the missing individual.
The court's bench, headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, ordered Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to investigate the captain's whereabouts and submit a progress report. Mehta has pledged to provide a status update by the following Monday.
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