Firing on Indian: 'Guilty cannot be pardoned'

Shipping Minister says shooting innocent fishermen thinking they are pirates is unpardonable

PTI | February 20, 2012



The killing of two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast in firing allegedly by two Italian marines on board an oil tanker is an 'unpardonable crime' and the guilty would be punished, Shipping Minister G K Vasan said here today.

"As I have already said it is condemnable. They (Kerala police) are looking into it as a suspicious incident. Our waterfront is not infested by pirates.So it is an unpardonable crime to shoot innocent fishermen thinking they are pirates.

There is no second opinion on whether to punish them for the act," he told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.

Asked if the marines would be tried under Indian law, he said, "One thing I am very clear. Punishment should be given to the guilty. We have lost two precious lives of fishermen, which cannot be pardoned, which cannot be taken for granted.

Assuring that steps would be taken to prevent recurrence of such attacks, he said "The Mercantile Marine Department under the Shipping Ministry, along with Defence, Law and External Affairs ministries are investigating the issue and the guilty will be punished...Centre will give full protection to them."

The two fishermen, Ajesh Binki (25) and Jalastein (45) were killed on February 15 off Kollam coast near Kerala when armed guards of 'Enrica Lexie' fired at their boat.

Preliminary assessment of marine authorities is that the guards might have fired at the boat, mistaking it for a pirate vessel.

Comments

 

Other News

Borrowing troubles: How small loans are quietly trapping youth

A silent crisis is playing out in the pocket of young India, not in stock markets or government treasuries, but in smartphones of college students and first-jobbers who clicked on the Apply Now button without reading the small print.  A decade ago, to take a loan, you had to do some paperwor

A 19th-century pilgrim’s progress

The Travels of a Sadhu in the Himalayas By Jaladhar Sen (Translated by Somdatta Mandal) Speaking Tiger Books, 259 pages, ₹499.00  

India faces critical shortage of skin donors amid rising burn cases

India reports nearly 70 lakh burn injury cases every year, resulting in approximately 1.4 lakh deaths annually. Experts estimate that up to 50% of these lives could be saved with adequate access to skin donations.   A significant concern is that around 70% of burn victims fall wi

Not just politics, let`s discuss policies too

Why public policy matters Most days, India`s loudest debates stop at the ballot box. We can name every major leader and recall every campaign slogan. Still, far fewer of us can explain why a widow`s pension is delayed or how a government school`s budget is actually approved. That

When algorithms decide and children die

The images have not left me, of dead and wounded children being carried in the arms of the medics and relatives to the ambulances and hospitals. On February 28, at the start of Operation Epic Fury, cruise missiles struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh school – officially named a girls’ school, in Minab,

The economics of representation: Why women in power matter

India’s democracy has grown in scale, but not quite in balance. Women today are active participants in elections, influencing outcomes in ways that were not as visible earlier. Yet their presence in legislative institutions continues to lag behind. The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was meant to addres


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter