NHRC notice to Defence Ministry, Karnataka govt over 'missing' fishermen
'Suvarna Tribuja' fishing boat missing since Dec 15
New Delhi, May 13: The NHRC has sent a notice to the Defence Ministry and the Karnataka government over reports that seven fishermen were "missing" more than four months after their boat disappeared off the western coast.
Reportedly, the India Navy "stopped the search operation" after finding the wreckage of the vessel 33-km west-south-west off the coast of Malvan in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district, the NHRC said in a statement.
"The NHRC has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that more than four months after the disappearance of Suvarna Tribuja, a fisherman boat, from Udupi in Karnataka, the seven fishermen (who were) on board it are still missing," it said.
The boat had left for a deep sea fishing expedition off the coast of Goa on December 13 last year, the NHRC said.
The commission has issued a notice to the chief secretary to look into the content of the news report and take immediate steps to redress grievances of relatives and family members of the missing fishermen.
The rights panel said a notice has also been issued to the defence secretary, to inform it about the latest update or status of the search operation, made in the meantime, by the Navy to recover the seven fishermen.
Both the reports have to be submitted within six weeks, the statement said.
The commission has observed that the disappearance of the men, who went deep into the sea for fishing, is a serious concern.
"All of them are earning members of their families and mostly belong to the fishermen community of the region, and the reckless attitude of public officials and government agencies with regard to the whereabouts of the missing fishermen has aggravated the cause of concern of the family members of the missing fishermen," the statement said.
The family members of the missing fishermen have the legitimate expectation from government agencies to conduct a proper search to find out the missing fishermen which, according to the news report, "did not happen", it said.
The NHRC has also observed that the contents of the media report, referred to by general secretary of the Human Rights Forum, Adarsh G K, "exemplifies the unabated failure" of authorities to take timely action to find the missing fisherman.
The life of these fishermen is very precious and that should be protected under any cost. Therefore, the commission feels that government agencies have failed to take more effective steps to prevent this kind of incident, the statement said.
The news report has also given details such as names of the fishermen, including that of Chandrashekar, who owned the boat, along with six others Damodar, Lakshman, Sathish, Ravi, Harish and Ramesh, it said.
The search team found three canisters from the sea in December and thereafter, there was no further trace of the boat, the statement said.
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Bengal polls: TMC seeks removal of Bhabanipur poll official, alleges proximity with BJP's Suvendu
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Kolkata (PTI): The TMC sought the immediate removal of the returning officer for the Bhabanipur assembly constituency in West Bengal, alleging he has proximity with BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari.
In a representation submitted to Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal on Friday, the ruling party raised objections to the appointment of RO for the Bhabanipur seat in southern Kolkata.
The party alleged that the returning officer has a “documented and close association” with Adhikari, who is contesting from Bhabanipur against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Adhikari is also in the electoral fray from Nandigram in Purba Medinipur district.
According to the complaint, the RO had earlier served as block development officer in Nandigram-II, where his proximity to Adhikari was allegedly visible in public engagements.
The TMC claimed that such an association creates a “reasonable apprehension of bias” and "compromises the neutrality" required for conducting elections.
The party also questioned the RO's current posting as additional director of land records, stating that the position is typically held by more senior officers.
The TMC alleged that his appointment to the role, particularly ahead of elections, raises concerns of “preferential and motivated deployment”.
Emphasising the critical role of a returning officer, the TMC said the official is responsible for key electoral processes, including nomination scrutiny, conduct of polling and declaration of results, and therefore must be “unimpeachably neutral”.
Citing Article 324 of the Constitution and provisions of the Representation of the People Act, the Trinamool Congress argued that the Election Commission is duty-bound to ensure free and fair polls by appointing officers without any perceived bias.
On 24th March, we formally wrote to the Chief Election Commissioner and CEO, West Bengal, flagging serious concerns over the appointment of Surajit Roy as Returning Officer for Bhabanipur.
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) April 3, 2026
We presented clear evidence of his close ties with Suvendu Adhikari from his days as BDO,… pic.twitter.com/i6Rybh4xDt
The party also referred to the Model Code of Conduct, which mandates administrative neutrality, and alleged that the RO's continuation violates these principles.
The TMC representation noted that the Election Commission had earlier sought a panel of three alternative officers from the state government, following a complaint lodged on March 24.
While the state complied, no decision has yet been taken to replace the RO, the letter, signed by senior TMC leaders Shashi Panja, Aroop Biswas, Baiswanor Chattopadhyay, claimed.
Calling the situation "constitutionally untenable" and "electorally dangerous", the TMC urged the EC to take "immediate, reasoned and transparent action to ensure the integrity of the electoral process".
