The family of Khandeshwar resident Ashok Kumar Chauhan (24), one of the 10 missing Indian crew members of a cargo ship, will organise a candle march in Kharghar on November 15, demanding that the government be transparent about the search and rescue measures.
The junior engineer is one of the 10 Indians who went missing after Emerald Star, a 33,205-tonne Hong Kong flag vessel, sank off the Philippines on October 13.
“We met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who assured us that the rescue operations are on, and we have also been assured of this through emails. We have always received positive replies from the government, but there has been no transparency on what exactly they are doing,” Parvind Ramagya Singh, Mr. Chauhan’s brother-in-law, said.
Mr. Singh said the family only wants to know what kind of operations were being carried out. “By now, they should have been located in whatever state, dead or alive. All of them were wearing life jackets, so the bodies will float. The family of another missing crew member in Rajasthan is also planning a candle march at the same time there. We are trying to get other family members to organise similar events,” Mr. Singh said.
The candle march will be held on November 15 from Utsav Chowk to ISKCON temple at 5 p.m. in Kharghar.
A spokesperson from Admiral Marine Services, Chennai, which managed the ship, said, “We are constantly following up with the government, but there has been no update. Photographs of all the missing crew members have been circulated with local island authorities, and the island ministries are also looking into it.”