India on Monday condemned a drone strike on a Nicaragua-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz that left two Indian seafarers missing. The government warned that repeated attacks on commercial vessels in the region could worsen an already volatile situation.
The external affairs ministry said MT Petro Dolphin, carrying 11 Indian crew members, was reportedly hit by a drone in the Strait of Hormuz area on Sunday. The Forward Seamen’s Union of India (FSUI) named the two missing sailors as Bir Bahadur Yadav and Amit Singh, and said the tanker was struck at Sohar Anchorage in Oman.
A second vessel, the Marshall Islands-flagged MT Valthera, was hit on Sunday by an unidentified projectile that set the ship on fire. The ministry said its 11 Indian crew members were reported safe.
Embassy coordinating rescue
The Indian embassy in Muscat is tracking developments and working with Omani authorities and the ship management companies to locate the missing Indians and support the seafarers.
India’s statement
Condemning the attacks, the ministry said the safety and security of Indian seafarers remains a priority for the government. It described the recurring strikes on commercial shipping as deeply worrying and likely to inflame tensions further.
India repeated its call for immediate de-escalation and for the conflict to be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. The statement said attacks on commercial vessels, seafarers and civilian infrastructure must stop, and that freedom of navigation and the safe, unobstructed flow of maritime trade through international waterways must be upheld in line with international law.
Toll so far
Eleven seafarers are among the 18 Indians killed in the West Asia conflict, which began after Israel and the US attacked Iran in February. Several other seafarers have been reported missing following strikes on merchant ships in the region.
India has over 320,000 seafarers, the second-largest number in the world after the Philippines, and more than 18,000 of them are currently serving on vessels in West Asia.
UP police arrest muezzin in Bijnor for azan exceeding noise limits
Police in Najibabad town, Bijnor district, have arrested a muezzin (the person who recites the azan) at a local mosque for allegedly breaching the prescribed noise limits during the call to prayer, officers familiar with the matter said on Sunday.
Mohammad Faizan, 23, was taken into custody on Saturday after police reportedly found a loudspeaker running at high volume at Najibuddoula Mosque, near Government Inter College (GIC). He was presented before a sub-divisional magistrate’s court, which sent him to 14 days of judicial custody.
Officers said that where permission for a loudspeaker has not been obtained, noise from sound-amplification equipment must not travel beyond the premises. Additional Superintendent of Police (City) Krishna Gopal Singh said the mosque management had no such permission. He added that the government and courts have issued directions on loudspeakers and similar equipment from time to time, and that police are running drives to ensure compliance.
How the arrest unfolded
According to police, sub-inspector Saurabh Singh and constable Rohit were on patrol on Saturday when they reached the area near GIC at around 12:45 pm and allegedly heard a loudspeaker playing loudly from the mosque. On inspection, they found Faizan reciting the azan.
Police said the volume exceeded permitted limits, causing noise pollution and inconvenience to passers-by. Saurabh Singh then filed a report at Najibabad police station, and a case was registered against Faizan. Police seized the loudspeaker, amplifier and microphone, and arrested him.
