Indian seafarers stranded near Chabahar Port, seeking Embassy help

New Delhi, Jul 20 (UNI) As many as five Indian seafarers stranded at Iran’s Chabahar port for the past two years have now reached the Embassy of India in Tehran seeking early repatriation to the country.
“We have taken refuge outside the Embassy of India in Tehran and come to meet the Ambassador. The Indian mission is yet to provide any assistance to us,” one of the stranded person said in a video message.
All the seafarers were allegedly arrested in a case of smuggling narcotics, however, the Chabahar court of Iran acquitted and released them on March 9.
The matter came to  light after a video message surfaced on social media last week in which all the five people were seen conveying their plight. In the message, they complained that they were arrested on false charges and were imprisoned for over 400 days.
“Despite after release on March 9, our passports and identity documents are yet to be returned. Our condition has drastically deteriorated sand we fear for our lives,” they said, adding that the Iran officials have not even informed the Indian embassy since their release from the prison.
The stranded people, through their video message, requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi for help and immediately repatriation.
Meanwhile, their families in India moved the Delhi High Court seeking direction to the Centre to actively pursue the matter with Iran authorities and immediately bring them back.
The Court in its hearing on Tuesday directed the government to get back with the instructions and asked them why no assistance has been provided till now to all the five stranded people.
“The matter will now be again heard on July 27,” Advocated Gurinder Pal Singh, who had filed the petition, told UNI. According to the plea, all the petitioners come from very humble backgrounds.
“On completion of their marine course, the Seafarers were assured a job in the United Arab Emirates. They flew separately to UAE but to their great shock and dismay and contrary to what was represented to them by their placement agents, they were taken to Iran where they joined a Cargo vessel MV Artin 10´ as Seafarers performing only menial duties,” the plea read.
It further said that on February 21, 2020, while the the vessel was in deep seat at Strait of Hormoz, the Iranian authorities raided the vessel and arrested the Captain along with the aforesaid Seafarers and charged them with conspiracy to smuggle narcotics in deep sea.
The petitioners in their plea alleged that during their time in the custody of 403 days, despite repeated requests, written representations and communications, no potential assistance including legal assistance was extended to them by the Indian Government.