Oman sets June 25 deadline to decide on TN seafarer’s body

Madurai: Indian authorities have asked the family of Tuticorin seafarer Nishanth Uirthanathan to decide whether his body should be brought to India by June 25 or be disposed of in Oman, as Omani law permits custody of mortal remains for only one week after postmortem.The remains of the second officer were booked for transportation to Thiruvananthapuram on June 19. But the family refused to accept the body, citing errors in documents that recorded Nishanth’s religion incorrectly and the absence of a detailed postmortem report explaining the cause of death. The Counsellor, Embassy of India, Muscat, had replied them the detailed report will take about one month. In an email to the family, the Directorate General of Shipping said Omani authorities wanted the remains repatriated or locally disposed of by June 25 and asked the family to choose an option.Nishanth died aboard a vessel after joining duty through Blue Ocean for Romana Ship Management. His body was brought ashore to Oman after being preserved onboard using cold-water bottles.“My husband spoke to me three times on June 6 and did not mention any health problem. Even if he had minor pain, he would not have hidden it from me. I suspect an unnatural death because there was no medical history and we were not informed through formal channels,” Nishanth’s wife Sarobin said.

She said the information about death of her husband reached her through friends and alleged the management did not contact her despite having her number as the emergency contact. “There is a rush to send the body back without giving us the postmortem report. We cannot accept the body without knowing what happened,” she said.Sarobin, who has a 10-month-old son and a three-year-old daughter, said no clear response had been given on compensation. “We want justice for his death, the official compensation due to us and compensation for negligence. We are ready to wait until he receives justice,” she said.