THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With a case registered against the captain and some of the crew members of mv Prabhu Daya ship for attempting to murder Prashob Sugathan, the second captain on board, a heartbroken father, who lost his son three years ago under mysterious circumstances from the ship MT Ratna Urvi, feels that the government might come to his help in unravelling the mystery surrounding the disappearance of his son, Sanaj, who worked as the fourth engineer of the vessel.
Gangadharan, who runs ‘Pathayam’ - an eatery known for it’s natural delicacies here, feels the pang of neglect meted out to his family after the disappearance of his second son from the ship. ‘’Sanaj, after finishing his BTech and degree in Marine Engineering, joined Ratna Urvi owned by a Kolkota-based Indian Steamship Company. We were glad to know that he had a chance to go abroad. He joined the firm on February 27 and sailed to Fujaira Port. A week later, the company informed us that Sanaj was missing since March 8,’’ a grieved Gangadharan said. The company officials informed the family that the electrical officer had seen Sanaj in the afternoon of March 8. But Sanaj failed to turn up for duty in the evening.
Though Gangadharan reached Visakhapatnam port to contact the shipping company, they downplayed his fear and concerns. ‘’I had filed Habeas Corpus writ in the High Court and the court directed the CBI to start an investigation into it. But they came up with a bizarre finding that Sanaj committed suicide as he failed to repay the loan he had taken for his studies.’’
‘’He had taken a loan of Rs 1,70,000 and he drew a monthly salary of Rs 1,50,000. So, the suicide hypothesis does not hold good,’’ Gangadharan said.
At a time when the bureaucrats and the public share sympathy for Prashob, Gangadharan hopes that this time the authorities would come to his help in finding an end to his agonising wait.