The three Indian sailors who died in the US military raid on the Palau-flagged merchant ship MT Setibelo off the coast of Oman on Wednesday were from different parts of India, but were working in foreign waters to fulfill one dream: to give their families a better life.
Marine engineer Patnala Suresh, 44, from Visakhapatnam, Shivanand Chaurasia, 38, from Suroli village in Deoria in Uttar Pradesh, and Aditya Sharma, 23, from Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh were initially reported missing, but were later confirmed dead; 21 other Indian crew members were rescued.
Originally bound by a six-month contract he was supposed to sign on May 24, Sharma reluctantly extended his stay by just two months to finish half of his required training before returning home. He obtained a degree in marine sciences from a university in Scotland. The last text message his father Rajesh Sharma received from his son arrived just an hour before Mount Sitipilo was hit.
“On Wednesday, we waited for his call all day,” the father said. “Later, around 9 p.m., we received information that the ship had been attacked and three crew members were missing.”
Speaking to reporters, he called for an official investigation into the circumstances that led to the death of his son and two crew members. “I appeal to MP Anurag Thakur, [Himachal Pradesh] CM Sukhu, EAM Dr S Jaishankar and PM Modi for helping me get my child’s mortal remains. I want to know what circumstances led to the death of three people. It is necessary to investigate the reason that prompted the ship’s captain to take the ship towards the danger zone?
Shivanand is the eldest son of Ramji Chaurasia, Suroli station house officer Avinash Maurya said. He is survived by his mother Kalawati Devi (60), wife Sushila Devi (31), seven-year-old son Rajveer and two-year-old daughter Vamika.
Speaking to reporters, Ramji Chaurasia, a farmer who also runs a paan shop, said Shivanand’s last phone call was to his wife on June 9. Since then, his phone has been no longer accessible.
Ramji said his younger son, Ram Parvesh Chaurasia, works for a private company in Dubai, which is also located in an area facing security concerns.
News of the death of Patnala Suresh, the chief engineer on board the ship, reached the family at around 1pm on Thursday. “Though I received the message about the drone attack on the naval vessel last night, the confirmation of my husband’s death came at around 1 pm today,” Suresh’s wife Bhargavi told reporters. Suresh is also survived by his two young sons, aged 13 and 10.
“We expect his arrival within a week. We are supposed to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary on June 24,” Bhargavi said.
