On June 9, Indian sailor Shivanand Chaurasia was killed when the US military struck the commercial vessel MT Settebello in the Gulf of Oman. His wife, Sushila Devi, is grappling with profound grief.

Chaurasia, an engineering fitter, had trained for years to work at sea, hoping to build a better future for his family. The US strike, part of a blockade on Iranian oil exports, ended his life.

Two other Indian sailors—chief engineer Patnala Suresh and deck cadet Aditya Sharma—also died. The ship’s manager denies any connection to Iran and claims no warning was given before the attack.

Sushila Devi told DW: “They have stolen all my happiness. It was America who killed my husband. That is why Prime Minister Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath are silent. They should have stood up for their people.”

The Chaurasia family lives in a farming village in Uttar Pradesh’s Deoria district. They feel abandoned by the Indian government’s silence; no leader has visited them.

Manoj Yadav, general secretary of the Forward Seamen’s Union of India, said: “It’s a serious concern. Why did they get attacked without any warnings?” The union receives daily calls from stranded sailors facing food and supply shortages.

The UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) has launched an operation to evacuate over 11,000 seafarers and hundreds of vessels trapped in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Chaurasia family still awaits answers on compensation and accountability. They waited nine days for the return of Shivanand’s remains. Hundreds of villagers attended the funeral.

Source: www.dw.com