For 19 months now,6 Indians held by Somali pirates

However,another ship,also with six Indians aboard,has been in the custody of Somali pirates for nearly 19 months now.

It took British special forces no more than 24 hours to storm the hijacked bulk carrier Montecristo and rescue its crew of 23,including six Indians. However,another ship,also with six Indians aboard,has been in the custody of Somali pirates for nearly 19 months now.

MV Iceberg-1,a Panamanian flagged vessel,was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden in March 2010. The pirates have demanded a ransom of $8 million to free the ship and its crew,but the owners have said they can’t pay.

The Indian hostages are Santosh Yadav from UP,Jaswinder Singh from Haryana,Dhiraj Tiwari from Nashik,Ganesh Mohite from Navi Mumbai,Swapnil Jadhav from Satara and Shah Ji Kumar Purshottam from Kerala.

The ship originally had a crew of 23 — two Pakistanis,four Ghanaians,nine Yemenis,one Sudanese and one Filipino besides the six Indians. One of the 23 men apparently jumped into the sea in desperation; another is missing. The rest are being held by the pirates.

Santosh Yadav’s father Parush Ram Yadav,a farmer,said the ship was hijacked on its way from the UAE to the UK. “We have sent letters and met everyone who could possibly help,” Yadav said. “They all gave assurances,but nothing has happened.”

The families of the hostages have met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar,External Affairs Minister S M Krishna,Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and the Director General of Shipping.

They have now approached former Pakistan minister and human rights activist Ansar Burney,who was instrumental in the release of the MV Suez,along with 22 crew members,including both Indians and Pakistanis,in June. The pirates had demanded $2 million for freeing them.

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Last week,Burney,who is chairman of the Ansar Burney Trust International,and Chandigarh-based advocate Ranjan Lakhanpal filed a public interest petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court,seeking directions to the government to secure the release of the hostages. The court will hear the case on Thursday,said Lakhanpal. A similar petition has been filed in Pakistan.

Santosh Yadav,who belongs to Ballia’s Nagra area,joined the merchant navy in 2009,and went on board the vessel shortly after his wedding in November 2009. Since the hijacking,Santosh has spoken to his family over the phone eight times.

The last time he called was in June. He spoke briefly. He said the owner of the ship had refused to pay the ransom and there is now little hope. His wife Reena is inconsolable,” said Santosh’s cousin Jai Prakash.

Regan Singh,the younger brother of Jaswinder Singh,told The Indian Express over the phone that one member of the crew had drowned himself in the sea; another had gone missing.