&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "India asks Venezuela to probe missing organs in repatriated body of Indian seafarer")
India has asked Venezuelan authorities to urgently investigate the case of an Indian seafarer whose body was repatriated with several vital organs missing following his death under unclear circumstances, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday (July 3).
The seafarer, identified as 33-year-old Rakesh Chauhan, died in Venezuela's Falcón state on May 7. According to a death certificate issued by a medical facility in the South American country, the cause of death was a heart attack.
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However, an autopsy conducted in Uttar Pradesh after Chauhan's body was repatriated last month found that his brain, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, stomach and intestines were missing. The case has sparked allegations from Chauhan's family that he was murdered. The matter has also been taken up by the Forward Seamen's Union of India (FSUI) and several lawmakers.
Addressing the issue during the MEA's weekly media briefing on Friday, ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India had formally raised the matter with Venezuelan authorities. "We have taken up the matter with Venezuelan authorities with a request to urgently investigate the matter. We'll keep you updated in that regard," Jaiswal said.
Earlier, the Indian Embassy in Caracas said in a post on social media that it had sought a "thorough investigation" into the alleged "desecration and removal of organs" from Chauhan's body. The embassy said it had "continued to pursue this matter with the concerned local authorities since the incident came to light".
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The issue first came to public attention late last month after the FSUI highlighted the circumstances surrounding Chauhan's repatriation, nearly two months after his death. Doctors who carried out the post-mortem examination in Uttar Pradesh said the cause of death could not be determined because the absence of the internal organs made it impossible to establish whether Chauhan had suffered any fatal injuries.
According to his family, Chauhan last spoke to them on the morning of May 7 from the vessel on which he was serving. Shortly afterwards, they were informed that he had collapsed, lost consciousness and was in a critical condition. They were later notified of his death.
