Staff Correspondent
Port Blair, Sept 15: Mr. Dominic Watson, aged 44 yrs, ASI (Communication), A&N Police posted at Car Nicobar and at camped at Chowra Island’s Police Look Out Post died today morning at around 10.00 following a massive heart attack.
Mr. Watson a hard working police officer, perhaps had never imagined that his death will be so painful and the developments after his death will be much more troubling.
Chowra Island LOP is managed by one Head Constable and four constables and Radio Operators. All these staffs are taken from different Police Stations and posted for 45 days in difficult Chowra Island.
According to detail the LOP of Chowra is so hard posting that it doesn’t have sufficient water for a few police jawans, forget about proper food. Often one has to send water from Nancowry in dinghy for the LOP Chowra.
Today after death of Mr. Dominic Watson neither Helicopter could land in Chowra nor could small boats from nearby Islands reach Chowra, due to bad weather.
Under tremendous pressure Police Department had to shift the body from Chowra to Teressa in a small dinghy, taking heavy risk. The worst part is that neither in Chowra nor in Teressa, there any mortuary to preserve dead bodies. In situations like this only a decomposed body of government servant will return back to the family members, it seems.
As per present situation MF Samsun is at Port Blair. MV Kalighat reached Campbell today and it has been now directed to reach Teressa Island directly from Campbell Bay without loading cargo at C/Bay and without touching Kamorta Island. In best condition MV Teressa will reach Teressa Island only by tomorrow afternoon and it would reach Port Blair only by Wednesday, surely the body will start decomposing by that time.
If luck and weather favour, helicopter will be able to pick up the body of Mr. Dominic Watson only by tomorrow morning and by tomorrow afternoon the body will reach Port Blair.
LOP Chowra is not the only tough posting, LOP Tillongchang, LOP Narcondum are two other such difficult outpost of police, which many believe should be handed over to Indian Army.
This is sad that Administration is sending officials to such remote Islands without even ensuring basic facilities and infrastructures. Situation is so bad that only decomposed body of a government officer is coming back to family, in this case.
No doubt the Administration is putting best efforts to bring back the body as early as possible but many believe that this efforts must have been shown long back to ensure basic facilities like first aid, medical facilities.
This incident is very painful. Let this incident be a lesson for the Administration. Hope in future no Governor Servant faces such situation in remote Islands.
The Lt. Governor is sending top secretaries to remote Islands hope the Lt. Governor will ask some top level Police Officers to visit these LOPs and spend atleast two nights and experience the suffering of these Jawans.
