Giving a right to someone doesn't necessarily mean exploitation!
Before Umashankar Mahto was suspected to have jumped into the sea off Greece, 22-year-old Umashankar Mahto wrote extensively in his diary about the "mental torture" by the chief officer of m.t. As a matter of fact, the chief officer of m.t. was known to often abuse him using filthy language. On several occasions, he complained he was hungry and clearly said he could not go on with his life's dream of proving himself to his parents and siblings. Mahto's diary and notings were sent to his elder brother Jayshankar who works in Pune.
On February 19, Mahto at 4 a.m. did not respond to a wakeup call and his cabin was locked. He could not be found anywhere on board and his life jacket and winter jacket were missing. The ship's side railing near the life rafts had been removed. Mr. Noel Alphonso, General Manager of Andromeda Shipping India Pvt. Ltd., the agents who got Mahto his placement on Wednesday that when the cadet was reported missing, the ship turned around and started search operations. The Hellenic Coastguard and Turkish vessels were involved in the operations and Mahto’s life jacket was located at night. The search resumed the next day but 36 hours after he was reported missing, the search was stopped.
To say more, the vessel MT True has a Malta registration, therefore an inquiry will be conducted by the Maltese authorities and that the ship is proceeding to Turkey now, Mr. Alphonso has said. Moreover, The Directorate General of Shipping, India, will have its own inquiry. He did not comment on the contents of the diary written by Mahto.
Jayshankar Mahto said his younger brother received his Diploma in Nautical Science in Mumbai and was placed on board m.t. True, a part of the Geden Lines fleet of tankers. He joined on November 28, 2012. He called his father, a retired school principal in Jharkhand, on February 19 but said nothing to him about his mental state. He in fact added that his brother was abused and was not given food and that he was falsely accused of theft, and he was not allowed to move freely on board.
To conclude,Umashankar wrote in his diary that he came to fulfill his dreams and he just could not go home. He tells his mother that he is so broken. He apologises to his family and pleads with his seniors not to tell them about what happened on board. He says he does not know why such revenge is being taken for a little thing.
This is really mournful to see an aspiring bright mind getting exploited and tortured while leading his life towards hell. The government should take necessary action for this incident and see that such exploitation doesn’t become reasons of frightening to join navy.
In fact, the government should be aware of the fact that giving a right to someone doesn’t necessarily mean exploitation!
(AW:Samrat Biswas)
