Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Jan 23: Sources claim that it is almost certain now that 'Suvarna Tribhuja' fishing boat which went for fishing from Malpe port for fishing and went missing since December 15, was hit by a navy ship. The details of investigation conducted and results thereof are likely to be made public in a couple of days.

The issue of the fishing boat going missing with its seven fishermen has been probed under different theories and possibilities like kidnapping, straying into foreign territory, boat developing problems, etc. Searches conducted based on different hints including reported oil slick near Goa have led the investigators nowhere. However, it is said that the clues emerging now have definitely pointed out to the possibility of the boat having been hit by a navy warship.

Highly placed sources said that a meeting of navy officials and senior police officials of Uttara Kannada and Udupi districts was held in this connection at Karwar on Tuesday January 22. The navy officials have agreed that their boat had hit a fishing boat. More details of the incident are likely to come out shortly.

In all probability, navy ship, INS Kochi, came in contact with the now-missing fishing boat. The navy sources had said that the bottom of their ship had been damaged after coming in contact with some hard object on December 16. The navy had also asked Coast Guard to find out whether there are reports of any of the boats having been damaged. The Coast Guard had undertaken investigation in Ratnagiri fishing port, Maharashtra, based on the location of the accident and found that all the boats there were safe. However, this probe was undertaken around December 16 and 20 and the fact that 'Suvarna Tribhuja' had gone missing came into the open a few days thereafter. After the missing of boat from Malpe became public knowledge, the police officials took up the issue, and prima facie it seems that the object which was hit by the navy ship was this fishing boat.

However, the fishermen from here are insistent that there is no possibility of the boat having been hit by the ship as it beams light to show whether it is moving or parked. They also point out that so far no remnants of the missing boat have been recovered so far.