American’s killing: Activists asks India to call off search

Port Blair, Nov. 27: The Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration had no plans to have any confrontation with the Sentinelese tribe, who killed an American national recently, and was moving cautiously on its investigation, respecting the existing laws that protected the reclusive islanders from outsiders, a top police officer said Tuesday.

Director General of Police (DGP) Dependra Pathak negated the reports of the police calling off or suspending their investigation and efforts to retrieve the body of American national John Allen Chau, killed on North Sentinel Island during the course of his illegal trip to the forbidden piece of land.

“It is bereft of truth,” the DGP told PTI, negating the reports of the police winding up their operation in the case. “The adminstration has no plans to have any confrontation with the Sentinelese tribe,” he said, adding that in the initial stages of the operation, it was decided that the law protecting the Sentineles would be respected and the police continued to do so.

“The police are maintaining a delicate balance between carrying on the probe and respecting the existing laws that prohibit outsiders’ physical contact with the Sentinel islanders,” he said. Chau (27) was killed on November 17, based on the account of the fishermen who had taken him to the island, hiding from the glare of the Navy and the Coast Guard.

The fishermen had said they saw a body being buried on the shore on November 17, which, from the clothing and circumstances, appeared to be that of Chau.

It was said that the American national was killed possibly with arrows. But, Andaman

Police Public Relations Officer Jatin Narwal had last week said it was a subject of probe. Chau had made trips to the island five times earlier too, before this misadventure.

India should abandon its “incredibly dangerous” efforts to recover the body of an American national who was killed by members of a protected and reclusive tribe in the Andamans, a group working to protect the rights of tribal people has said.

“We urge the Indian authorities to abandon efforts to recover John Allen Chau's body. Any such attempt is incredibly dangerous, both for the Indian officials, but also for the Sentinelese, who face being wiped out if any outside diseases are introduced,” Survival International's Director Stephen Corry said in a statement on Monday

—PTI