Seven staffs of ship MV Chowra arrested for allegedly misbehaving with COVID19 staffs

Trinath & Sarthak Kanjilal
Mayabunder, May 08: Seven crew members of ship MV Chowra were arrested yesterday for allegedly misbehaving with the COVID19 staffs of Mayabunder and obstructing government officials from discharging their duties.
The arrests were made under section IPC Section 186,188, 269, Disaster Management Act section 51, Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 section 3, it is learnt. These sections were imposed for charges of Obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions, Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant and negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life.
As per sources, all the seven crew of the ship MV Chowra were under inebriate state and denied to do the medical screening from the medical staffs following which the matter was highlighted to the District Commissioner upon whose instruction the Assistant Commissioner of the region, reached the spot to solve the issue, however, it is learned that even after his orders all the seven crew refused to do medical screening.
Hence, the DC, Mayabunder reached the spot himself but even after his instructions, all the seven crews remained adamant for not doing the screening following which legal actions were taken against the staffs based on complaint lodged by BDO/EM Mayabunder.
The Ship MV Chowra berthed the Mayabunder Port yesterday at 07:00 pm and was scheduled to sail back the same day with the passengers stranded in the Mayabunder region due to the lockdown.
Due to this act of the sailors, the ship couldn’t sail yesterday and the DC had to hire three buses for the stranded passengers to send them back to Port Blair from Mayabunder.
It is learnt that later out of 96 passengers 88 passengers were sent to Port Blair by early morning buses and in the evening when some crew members from Port Blair arrived the ship MV Chowra sailed back to Port Blair with remaining passengers, who were patients and attendants. It is learnt that legal action might be taken against one more staff of the vessel as he was also allegedly found under heavy influence of liquor last night.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that all seven people arrested were given conditional bail by Court today morning. More information is awaited.