Body Of Indian Seafarer Killed In US Strike Off Oman Returns Home, Family Seeks Rs 1 Crore Compensation

The body of Indian seafarer Shivanand Chaurasia, killed in a U.S. military strike on a commercial tanker off the coast of Oman, has been brought back to his home in Uttar Pradesh.

Chaurasia was working as an engine fitter on the Palau-flagged tanker Settebello when it was struck on June 10 near Oman. The vessel had 24 Indian crew members on board.

Twenty-one were rescued, while three Indian sailors went missing and were later confirmed dead. Their bodies were recovered on June 11.

His remains arrived at Delhi airport from Muscat early Wednesday morning and were later flown to Gorakhpur before being taken by road to Surauli village in Deoria district.

As the body reached the village, family members, including his parents, wife and brother, broke down in grief. Police and local officials were deployed to manage the situation.

The family demanded compensation of Rs 1 crore each from the Centre and the state government, along with a government job for a dependent and “martyr status” for Chaurasia.

They refused to carry out the last rites immediately and did not allow the body to be moved from the ambulance for nearly three hours.

District officials said the family later submitted a memorandum to District Magistrate Madhusudan Hulgi, who assured them their demands would be considered.

The family eventually agreed to a second post-mortem, and the last rites are expected to take place on Thursday.

Member of Parliament Shashank Mani remained in contact with the family and coordinated with central authorities during the repatriation process.

The incident has also become a diplomatic issue between India and the United States. Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the safety of Indian seafarers with U.S. President Donald Trump during their meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Evian, France.

Modi said the safety of seafarers working across global routes, including the Strait of Hormuz, was very important, and expressed confidence that it would be given “highest priority” in any future agreement between the U.S. and Iran.

Trump said the issue was being handled jointly and described seafaring as a difficult profession.

Following the incident, India also summoned the acting head of the U.S. mission twice. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar later conveyed India’s “strong protest” to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The U.S. State Department said enforcement of restrictions on Iranian oil shipments would continue. The U.S. has defended the strike, saying violations of its blockade policy would not be tolerated.

India, one of the world’s largest suppliers of merchant shipping personnel, has repeatedly raised concerns over the safety of its seafarers operating in international waters where military activity and enforcement operations overlap with commercial trade routes.

References: Deccan Herald, Telegraph India