Congressman Shashi Tharoor on Saturday criticized the US over the killing of the Indian crew members and questioned Washington’s response, saying the official statement lacked any expression of regret or condolence.
“It is extremely shocking to read this official US statement, which contains absolutely no expression of regret or condolence for the loss of innocent Indian lives. How can a ‘friend’ and strategic partner be so insensitive?” Tharoor wrote on X.
Shashi Tharoor on Indian sailors
The Congress leader went on to question why alternative methods were not used to stop the ship in question.
“Why wasn’t a non-compliant merchant ship stopped using other, non-lethal means?” he asked. he asked.
He added: “Is it not possible to disrupt the ship’s propulsion or steering process without launching guided missiles to kill the civilian crew members?”
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Jaishankar on Marco Rubio
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday raised with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio the killing of three Indian sailors in a US military strike in the Gulf of Oman, even as Washington strongly asserted that violations of its regional naval blockade will not be tolerated.
After his phone conversation with Rubio, Jaishankar called the US military’s “deadly” actions against commercial shipping unjustified.
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What happened?
US forces disabled the Palau-flagged oil tanker Marifix, which was carrying 24 Indian sailors, on June 8. All crew members on board the ship were rescued safely.
On June 10, the United States struck another Palau-flagged tanker, the CityBlue, with 24 Indian sailors on board. Three Indian crew members were killed in the raid.
Another ship, the Gulliver, a Guinea-Bissau-flagged tanker carrying 20 Indian nationals, was attacked on Thursday.
These incidents have raised concerns about the safety of Indian sailors in strategically important waters, with New Delhi conveying its concerns to Washington about the loss of Indian lives.
