KOCHI: Two incidents in a span of two weeks; both of similar nature and off the same coast, two merchant vessels involved but two drastically different approaches in the investigation process.The arrest of mv Prabhu Daya’s master Gordon Charles Pereira has exposed the differential treatment meted out to Enrica Lexie and Prabhu Daya by the authorities.The arrest of master Pereira has drawn flak from sailors’ bodies as Umberto Vitelli, captain of Enrica Lexie, the Italian vessel which shot dead two Indian fishermen, is still roaming free almost a month after the incident.“The authorities are using two entirely different yardsticks. They are going ahead with a sudden action against the master of an Indian vessel while the captain of a foreign vessel which committed a more serious offence is roaming free? mv Prabhu Daya was involved in an accident, but the Enrica Lexie incident was a deliberate murder by shooting,” fumed Manoj V Joy of Sailors Helpline, Chennai.Two days after the incident, Prabhu Daya was seized and a sailor arrested. “So far, the police have not taken the statement of its second officer. But they are out to arrest the captain. Why not the same treatment for Enrica Lexie? The police could search the vessel only after 10 days. And they claim the captain was not aware of the shooting,” Manoj added.Capt Viresh Mallik of Merchant Navy too opined that seafarers from the third world countries are treated differently.“We have proved this it in our own country. There’s another aspect also. The crime committed by Enrica Lexie is higher in gravity compared to that of Prabhu Daya. Enrica’s was an outright murder. It was a pre-meditated killing for a reward. For every pirate killing they get a reward. Prabhu Daya made an error in judgement by not alerting the officials after the incident. The police should have treated both in the same manner,” he pointed out.
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