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'We trusted the government to fight for us': Kerala fishermen disappointed in Italian marines case

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'We trusted the government to fight for us': Kerala fishermen disappointed in Italian marines case
The UN court would not have allowed Italy’s plea to return the marine if India had fought the case strongly, allege family.
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TK Devasia

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The family of Valentine Jelastine, one of the two fishermen shot dead by two Italian marines off the Kerala coast four years ago, doubts whether they will ever get justice.

Jelastine’s widow, Doramma, does not understand the legal intricacies and political issues behind the case. She told Scroll.in that her belief that the killers of her husband will get the punishment they deserve has been diminishing year after year.

“We had trusted the government to fight for us. I doubt whether the government has done its job properly,” Doramma said referring to the United Nations Arbitration Court’s latest order allowing the lone marine detained in the country to return home.

The international tribunal at Hague had on Monday ruled that Salvatore Girone, who is facing murder charge along with Massimiliano Latorre, could return home. While Latorre is in Italy since 2014 following a stroke he suffered while on bail in India, Girone is staying at the Italian embassy in New Delhi.

Though the Narendra Modi government has claimed that Girone will be allowed to leave the country only subject to conditions to be laid down by the Supreme Court of India, fishermen’s bodies express doubt whether government would insist on tougher conditions.

This is in the light of the allegations that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had offered to free the marines in exchange of information that links Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her family to the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland helicopter scam.

The National Fishworkers Forum is of the firm view that the marine should not be allowed to leave the country. Anto Alias, Kerala unit vice-president of Forum, said that the UN court would not have allowed Italy’s plea to return the marine if India had fought the case vigorously. He alleged that the government had failed to represent the case strongly.

“How can we expect the Modi government that did not put up a strong defence in the international court to take strong position in the Supreme Court? The government is fooling the fishermen. If they value the lives of fishermen, the killer of our fishermen should not be allowed to leave the country,” Anto said.

Conspiracy charges

He said that there every reason to believe that there was some sort of conspiracy in the case. He urged the prime minister to make a statement on the allegations doing the rounds about “match fixing”. The fishermen, who toil hard in the sea for their living, have a right to know the truth, he added.

“If the killers of the fishermen are let off, we will not be able to go to sea fearlessly. Where is the guarantee to the lives and property of fishermen when the authorities are trying to protect the killers? There is nobody to hear our voice,” Anto said, adding that the forum will launch an agitation after the Assembly elections on May 16 if Girone is allowed to go back to Italy.

T Peter, national secretary of the forum, said that they were deeply dissatisfied with the international court’s ruling. He urged the government to take steps to prevent the Italian marine’s return. He wants the prime minister to raise the issue at international platforms and MPs to take it up in Parliament.

Unfulfilled promises

Doramma is doubtful about this. She said that none had bothered to find out how they were living after they lost their family’s sole breadwinner. Though Italian government had made several promises to secure their future, they seem to have forgotten them.

She said representatives from Italian embassy in New Delhi used to visit them until two years ago. They had promised to find a job for her son, who is completing his B Tech degree this year. She doesn’t know whether they will keep their word.

Fortunately, Doramma has saved the entire compensation the family has got from the Italian government. They continue to live in the small house her husband built. She has not even tried to renovate the house, which is in bad shape.

Doramma has put the entire Rs 1 crore she received from Italian government in fixed deposits in the name of her two children. They live a simple life with the salary she is getting from the last grade job offered to her by the state government following the murder of Jelastine.

Though four years have passed since the murder, Doramma and her children have not come out of the shock. Jelastine, a god fearing man without any vices, had gone for fishing as usual along with nine other fishermen from the Neendakara fishing harbour near Kollam in February 2012.

Tragedy on the sea

The tragedy struck the family on February 15 when the marines, who were posted as securitymen aboard the Italian registered cargo vessel Enrica Lexie to protect the ship from the Somalian pirates that operate in the western Indian Ocean, mistook the fishermen for pirates and shot two of them dead. The marines opened fire from their automatic weapons without any warning.

The case, initially investigated by the Kerala police, got mired in controversy after the Supreme Court on 18 January 2013 directed National Investigation Agency to probe the case and asked the Centre to set up a special court to conduct trial on a day-to-day basis.

The accused had then moved the apex court challenging the jurisdiction of NIA to prosecute and probe the case under the stringent Unlawful Acts Against Safety of Maritime Navigation And Fixed Platforms on Continental Shelf Act that attracts death penalty as maximum punishment.

Though the government of India resolved the contentious issue with Italy, the latter moved the international court raising the issue of jurisdiction. The case has been stuck in legal tangles since then.

Though the Congress is geared to launch a massive attack on the Modi government in Parliament over the UN court ruling, the party men in the poll-bound Kerala are yet to take cognisance of the issue despite the Bharatiya Janata Party’s attempt to showcase the development agenda of their government at the Centre in the poll campaign.


http://scroll.in/article/807589/we-...ishermen-disappointed-in-italian-marines-case
 
If the Indian govt. let the marines go free for the sake of Indian ties with Italy then it would be a huge disappointment for those who see India's status as a strong power in the World and believes that the foremost duty of the Indian govt is to protect and provide justice to its citizens.
 
This is affecting defence strategic ties with Italy, it's gone on too long. Need to find a solution to keep dignity for both countries.
 
Let me ask you a simple question...... Same situation and UPA in power..... What would have been your post?

The matter is outside our hands it has gone via the international route, what Congress say or BJP do is irrelevant. I personally would have shot them both through the back of the head and made it look like a accident at sea their bodies tied with huge rocks and nobody would have found their corpses.
 
The matter is outside our hands it has gone via the international route, what Congress say or BJP do is irrelevant. I personally would have shot them both through the back of the head and made it look like a accident at sea their bodies tied with huge rocks and nobody would have found their corpses.

You did not answer my question......(it is ok if you do not want to, can tell that also)
 
Italy blocked us getting into the missile pavt due to this issue, also we need those torpedoes for our subs.
 
Italy blocked us getting into the missile pavt due to this issue, also we need those torpedoes for our subs.

So life of Indian citizens is worth less than all of this? I for one thinks UPA had bigger balls than this govt when dealing with this kind of crisis. . This govt sucks big time regarding incidents like this.. look at the visa issue,climate control, agreement with US and now this,
 
You did not answer my question......(it is ok if you do not want to, can tell that also)


How hard is it to understand? We have no jurisdiction it went via the Hague. We have to adhere to it, where does BJP or Congress figure in this?

So life of Indian citizens is worth less than all of this? I for one thinks UPA had bigger balls than this govt when dealing with this kind of crisis. . This govt sucks big time regarding incidents like this.. look at the visa issue,climate control, agreement with US and now this,


Look it's not rocket science it's gone via the Hague lol we can't do shit! You Indians need to stop reading TOI junk paper and open your eyes.

Once Italy approached the matter to the Hague I always knew the European based court would favour the Italians, now yes there is a element of racism there too but nobody is going to take Indians seriously until you wakeup and think outside the box. I give you a example if you ho against Putin he will send his agents all the way to London to murder you, do you really think he gives a **** about the UN? Hague? Until you ready to do big boy actions Indians must realise they can't compete in this dog eat dog world

Learn from history what British intelligence dd to IRA members, Mossad did or Putin is doing. If you don't have the balls and want to run like a pussy bitch to the UN like we did with Pakistan and China veto us I can only laugh.
 
What does that supposed to mean?

It means the decision went down the international route via the Hague, basically the Italians shot murdered 2 of your countrymen, bent you over put vaseline in your anus and pounded you hard. After they finished they threw money on you and they went home. My question is while you were being anally violated did you scream UN?

If you going to be a bitch the world going to treat you like one, screaming to UN to save me will only make you more of a laughing stock. Either you a man and get shit done or you continue to be a bitch for people to bend you over and probe you.
 
It means the decision went down the international route via the Hague, basically the Italians shot murdered 2 of your countrymen, bent you over put vaseline in your anus and pounded you hard. After they finished they threw money on you and they went home. My question is while you were being anally violated did you scream UN?

If you going to be a bitch the world going to treat you like one, screaming to UN to save me will only make you more of a laughing stock. Either you a man and get shit done or you continue to be a bitch for people to bend you over and probe you.

Paying up is a fully acceptable way to resolve such matters.
In pirate infested waters, it is important that ships get protection.
Mistakes may happen and will happen.

Italy needs to apologize, money needs to be handed over, the Marines needs to be freed,
but as a precaution, not be assigned similar duties.
Fishermen need to stay away from large vessels.
No honour is beeing trampled on if this happens.
 
Paying up is a fully acceptable way to resolve such matters.
In pirate infested waters, it is important that ships get protection.
Mistakes may happen and will happen.

Italy needs to apologize, money needs to be handed over, the Marines needs to be freed,
but as a precaution, not be assigned similar duties.
Fishermen need to stay away from large vessels.
No honour is beeing trampled on if this happens.

Hey its okay we are used to being raped hard, you forget bhopal? We let him go on the plane out of India while accepting a pittance. Hey how about we stop fishing all together? We can just eat shit while you eat pasta?

Now when these Italians arrive In Rome with a big smile on their face while smoking a ciggie after raping Indians. Do not get angry because you took it like a bitch and continue to do so.. until you ready to step in the big boy world let me know until then you will always be a slave
 
Let me ask you a simple question...... Same situation and UPA in power..... What would have been your post?

What do you think would have been my post, or his post, as your automatically think everyone who is critical of previous govt. is a brainwashed RSS agent.. Because you certainly talk that way..

Sonia = Italy = Corruption = Sell Out = OMG Country is ruined

#Indianlivesmatter(or not)

Sonia = Italy = Corruption = Sell Out = OMG Country is ruined = All True( weather you like it or not )
 

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