The family of Indian sailor Rakesh Chauhan claimed on Thursday that he died under suspicious circumstances in Venezuela, and accused the shipping company of withholding important information and mishandling his remains.
Chouhan’s wife, Ranjana, claimed that her husband was killed and his organs were removed. She also claimed that company representatives were dismissive and failed to provide answers despite repeated requests, according to the news agency that I.
“My husband went to work on a ship, was killed there, and had his organs removed. To this day, they have not given us a proper report, despite our repeated requests. They did not even return his personal belongings, did not speak to us properly, and the company representatives were dismissive,” she said.
According to a certificate issued by the Indian Embassy in Caracas on May 22, Chauhan died on May 7 in Punto Viejo, Falcon State.
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“There is not a single organ left in the body.”
Ranjana said the family was just waiting for Chouhan’s body to be returned, but the second autopsy conducted in India raised troubling questions.
“We were expecting the body to arrive. When we conducted a second autopsy here, the report revealed that not a single organ remained in the body,” she said.
She added: “We have filed complaints everywhere, to the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi and other concerned authorities, but nothing happened… I last spoke to him on May 6… I think it was only two or three hours after he left for work, my father-in-law received a phone call saying that there had been an accident and that they were taking him to the hospital.”
FSUI Statement
The Forward Seamen’s Federation of India (FSUI) also claimed that no internal organs were found in Chouhan’s body when the autopsy was conducted in India.
According to the union, the brain, heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, spleen, pancreas, stomach, intestines, thyroid, hyoid, larynx and windpipe are all missing.
The union said in a statement: “Shocking case – Indian sailor Rakesh Chauhan has been reported dead in Venezuela. The mortal remains were sent to his hometown in Uttar Pradesh without any post-mortem report or details from the Venezuelan authorities. The family has demanded a re-post-mortem. The official post-mortem report conducted in India reveals a horrifying fact: not a single organ was found in the body.”
The FSUI urged the Indian Embassy in Venezuela and the Ministry of External Affairs to intervene in the matter. She also alleged inconsistencies in the documents accompanying Chauhan’s remains.
“The receipt for the remains was forged and signed as ‘Anjana Chaurasia’ instead of ‘Ranjana Chaurasia’ (on behalf of his wife). The name of the vessel mentioned in the employment agreement does not match the vessel in which she was actually present,” the statement read.
The union also alleged discrepancies in Chauhan’s employment records, alleging that the ship mentioned in his employment agreement did not match the ship on which he was posted.
She said the discrepancies raise serious concerns about the circumstances surrounding his death and urged the Indian Embassy in Venezuela and the Ministry of External Affairs to intervene.
The union urged the Embassy of India in Venezuela and the Ministry of External Affairs to secure and release the full autopsy report from the Venezuelan authorities, order a comprehensive and independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Chouhan’s death and the handling of his remains, and ensure justice, accountability and appropriate compensation to his grieving family.
(Inputs from Annie)
