Madurai: Tamil Nadu Police on Tuesday
informed the Madras High Court that the crew members of a sunk
cargo vessel from Panama have not been detained as alleged by
a global workers body but only accommodated in a star hotel
with adequate protection.
Police said the eight crew members of MV Mirach, which
sank off Manavalakurichi coast in the state on April 4 while
on a voyage from Vishakapattinam to Karachi in Pakistan
carrying iron ore, were healthy and being provided food.
There was no illegal detention and the sailors have
been accommodated in hotel by the shipping company itself.
There was no objection to anyone meeting them, Manavalakurichi
Police said in its counter-affidavit to the petition by K
Sreekumar of the International Transport Workers Federation
(ITWF) seeking their release.
MV Mirach, registered in the Republic of Panama, hit a
rock due to bad weather condition and got stranded on March
29. It sank on April 4 after all efforts to redeem it failed,
the counter said.
Sreekumar had submitted that the police had illegally
detained eight persons from the crew after releasing 15
others.
Justices S Rajeswaran and GM Akbar Ali of the high
court bench here who heard the case adjourned it to June 17.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, June 14, 2011, 22:21