Andaman tribe kills US man on uncharted island
KOLKATA: John Allen Chau, 26, an American national was killed by the reclusive and protected Sentinelese tribe on November 16 after he ventured into the North Sentinel Island in the Andamans with the help of seven local fishermen, violating strict regulations imposed by the government on interactions with the indigenous people.
Since the Sentinelese, around 60 of whom survive, do not allow outsiders on their island and attack strangers, the local administration deployed boats and helicopters to locate Chau’s body from air and water.
Till Wednesday afternoon, the body could not be spotted, said Dependra Pathak, director general of police, Andaman and Nicobar.
A trained paramedic, Chau was trying to be a missionary and spread Christianity on the Islands, police found during their investigation.
Alexander KS, 28, a missionary whose family came from Kerala decades ago to settle in the Andamans, was arrested along with the seven fishermen, said Pathak.
Chau had come to the Andamans several times in the past and was in touch with Alexander, who is a qualified electronics engineer, Pathak added.
“The seven local fishermen, Chau and Alexander planned the entire expedition and it was camouflaged as a fishing trip,” he said.
“Chau and the fishermen approached North Sentinel Island in boats. On November 14, Chau tried to land on the beach but the Sentinelese got hostile,” said Pathak.
“Chau spent two days in his boat. On November 16, he managed to reach the beach in a
canoe but was shot with arrows. The fishermen watched the entire episode from their boats and fled. They did not inform the authorities,” he added.
The DGP said the fishermen informed Alexander but the missionary, instead of informing the police, wrote a long letter to a friend of Chau .
“We have recovered the letter. It is apparent that the Alexander and Chau were on a mission to spread their faith,” said Pathak.
A statement issued by Udit Prakash Rai, deputy commissioner of South Andaman, said the island administration received a mail from the US consulate general in Chennai which mentioned a mail sent by Chau’s mother.
“Mother of Mr John Chau informed that her son was purportedly attacked during his visit to North Sentinel Island here. Acting on the information, Andaman and Nicobar Police has registered a case of murder at Humfrigunj police station,” the statement said.
“We have arrested the fishermen and charged them with culpable homicide not amounting to murder and other crimes. A separate FIR has been lodged against Alexander KS,” said Pathak.
“What happened is unprecedented. No foreigner has ever tried to enter the island. Records show the Sentinelese attacked a tribal welfare officer in the 1970s and in 2006 they killed two fishermen whose boat drifted and beached on the island,” said Pathak.
The Andamans are also home to the Jarawah tribe. While the Jarawahs interact with outsiders, the Sentinelese shun all contact with the world. The North Sentinel island is out of bounds even to the Indian navy and police. The Setinelese cannot be prosecuted. The government keeps an eye on them through remote surveys using boats and aircraft. Even their census was conducted from boats using binoculars.
The status of North Sentinel Island is unclear. It used to be offlimits but in August 2018, the government removed the Restricted Area Permit (RAP) from 29 islands in Andaman & Nicobar Islands including North Sentinel.