The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to use diplomatic channels to trace an Indian seafarer who went missing after the cargo ship he was aboard was struck by drones in the Black Sea on July 25.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to obtain instructions from the Indian Embassy in Ukraine and the Embassy of India in Bucharest, Romania, regarding the whereabouts of Deepak Kumar Gupta, a crew member of the cargo vessel MV AGN Ragnar. The matter has been listed for hearing on Friday.
The court was hearing a petition filed by Sandeep Kumar Gupta, the missing sailor's elder brother, seeking directions to the MEA to coordinate with Indian diplomatic missions in Ukraine and Romania to intensify search and rescue efforts.
According to the plea, the family approached the MEA and the Indian embassies in both countries between July 26 and July 30, but did not receive any response or assurance regarding the rescue efforts.
Deepak Kumar Gupta, 22, went missing after the merchant vessel carrying Indian crew members came under a drone attack near Ukraine's Odesa port.
The petition states that Gupta was serving as a crew member aboard the MV AGN Ragnar at the time of the attack. His family, originally from Siwan district in Bihar, has been living in Bharataul village in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district for several years.