Sailor's body returned from Venezuela with 'missing' organs; Indian embassy seeks probe

The Indian Embassy in Venezuela has sought a thorough investigation into allegations that the organs of Indian sailor Rakesh Chauhan were removed before his mortal remains were repatriated to India.In a statement issued on Thursday (local time), the Embassy of India in Caracas said it has been pursuing the matter with Venezuelan authorities since the allegations surfaced. "The Embassy of India, Caracas has sought a thorough investigation by Venezuelan authorities on the desecration and removal of organs of the mortal remains of late Shri. Rakesh Chauhan. Mission has continued to pursue this matter with the concerned local authorities since the incident came to light," the embassy said.The embassy's statement came days after Chauhan's family alleged that he died under suspicious circumstances while working aboard a vessel in Venezuela and claimed that his body was returned to India without several internal organs.Speaking to ANI, Chauhan's wife, Ranjana, alleged that the company employing her husband had failed to provide any clear explanation about his death. "My husband had gone to work on a ship; he was murdered there, and his organs were removed. To this day, they haven't given us a proper report, despite our repeated requests. They didn't even return his personal belongings; they wouldn't even speak to us properly; the company representatives were dismissive," she said.She said the family decided to conduct a second post-mortem after the body reached India. "We were just expecting the body to arrive. When we had a second post-mortem done here, the report revealed that not a single organ remained in the body. We lodged complaints everywhere, with the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi and other relevant authorities, but nothing came of it... I last spoke to him on 6 May... I think it was only two or three hours after he left for duty that my father-in-law received a call saying there had been an accident and that they were taking him to the hospital," she added.The allegations came into public eye when it were taken up by the Forward Seamen's Union of India (FSUI), which claimed that the post-mortem conducted in India found no internal organs in Chauhan's body. According to the union, the brain, heart, both lungs, kidneys, liver, spleen, pancreas, stomach, intestines, thyroid, hyoid bone, larynx and trachea were all reportedly missing.In a statement, the FSUI said: "SHOCKING CASE -- Indian Seafarer Rakesh Chauhan reported dead in Venezuela. Mortal remains sent back to his hometown in Uttar Pradesh without any autopsy report or details from Venezuelan authorities. Family demanded re-autopsy. The official Post-Mortem Report conducted in India reveals a horrifying truth: NOT A SINGLE ORGAN was found in the body."The union has urged the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy in Venezuela to intervene in the matter. It also alleged discrepancies in the paperwork related to the repatriation of Chauhan's body, claiming the receipt for the mortal remains carried an incorrect name and that the vessel mentioned in his employment agreement did not match the one on which he was deployed.Venezuelan authorities have not publicly responded to the family's allegations. The Indian Embassy said it continues to pursue the matter with the concerned authorities.Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.