Kerala soldier missing for 5 days after boat capsizes in Andaman; family seeks military assistance for search

A Malayali soldier, Sreejith, went missing after the boat he was on capsized near Manjery, close to Port Blair, during a fishing trip with friends. Despite a search operation by the Navy, police, and Coast Guard, only one body has been found, and Sreejith remains unaccounted for.

Port Blair: A soldier from Kerala has been missing in the Andaman Islands for several days, prompting his family to request help from the Chief Minister. The elderly parents, who live in the Andaman Islands, have filed a complaint about their son’s disappearance. Sreejith, a 36-year-old Havildar from the 5th Engineer Regiment, was last seen on Sunday. He had been on leave in the Andamans after serving with the 54 Rashtriya Rifles in Jammu and Kashmir.

While fishing with friends near Manjery, close to Port Blair, Sreejith went missing after their boat capsized. A search by the Navy, police, and Coast Guard led to the rescue of two individuals who were clinging to the boat. After two days, the body of another person was found, but there are still no leads on Sreejith. The family stated that the Coast Guard's larger vessels are struggling to access the area, which is surrounded by small islands.

Sreejith’s mother, Geetha Kumari, has appealed for military help in the search for her son, especially in the difficult terrain filled with rocks and obstacles. She explained to Asianet News Online that despite raising the issue at the military center in Port Blair, she did not receive a positive response. The missing soldier is the sole provider for his family, which includes his wife and two young children. Geetha Kumari has called for the use of advanced tools and technology to facilitate an effective search and for cooperation from all relevant agencies.

Geetha Kumari has called for military involvement, highlighting the Coast Guard and Navy's limitations in searching the nearby small islands where her son may have sought refuge after being rescued from the sea. She has requested further action to aid in his search. Geetha Kumari and her family have been living in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands for several years due to work-related reasons.