A 26-year-old merchant navy officer from Himachal Pradesh is among the crew of a Russian tanker seized by the US. His family appeals to PM Modi for his safe return before his wedding on February 19.
India
-Krishna Kripa
A
merchant
navy
officer
from
Kangra,
Himachal
Pradesh,
is
among
three
Indians
detained
on
a
Russian
tanker
seized
by
the
US.
The
officer,
Rakshit
Chauhan,
was
on
his
first
sea
assignment
in
Venezuela
when
the
Marinera
tanker
was
intercepted
by
the
US
Coast
Guard
on
January
7.
His
family
has
appealed
to
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi
for
his
safe
return.
image
A
26-year-old
merchant
navy
officer
from
Himachal
Pradesh
is
among
the
crew
of
a
Russian
tanker
seized
by
the
US.
His
family
appeals
to
PM
Modi
for
his
safe
return
before
his
wedding
on
February
19.
Rakshit’s
mother,
Reeta
Devi,
expressed
her
distress
over
the
situation.
“Please
ensure
safe
return
of
my
son
Rakshit,” she
pleaded
to
the
prime
minister.
She
mentioned
that
Rakshit’s
marriage
is
scheduled
for
February
19
and
hopes
he
returns
safely
before
then.
The
family
last
spoke
to
him
on
January
7
and
has
been
praying
for
his
safety
since.
Family
Appeals
for
Help
The
family
is
urging
both
the
prime
minister
and
the
external
affairs
minister
to
facilitate
the
return
of
Rakshit
and
two
other
Indian
crew
members
from
Goa
and
Kerala.
These
crew
members
were
also
aboard
the
seized
vessel.
Rakshit
joined
the
merchant
navy
on
August
1,
2025,
and
was
employed
by
a
Russian
company
for
this
assignment.
Rakshit’s
father,
Ranjit
Singh
Chauhan,
explained
that
his
son
was
sent
to
Venezuela
to
collect
oil.
However,
after
waiting
at
the
border
for
ten
days,
the
ship
was
recalled
by
the
company
when
it
was
seized
by
US
authorities.
The
vessel
had
a
total
of
28
crew
members
from
various
countries
including
Ukraine,
Georgia,
and
Russia.
Local
Support
and
Government
Involvement
The
local
MLA
from
Palampur
has
been
informed
about
Rakshit’s
situation.
He
has
promised
to
gather
more
information
and
plans
to
discuss
the
matter
with
the
chief
minister
in
Shimla.
This
assurance
provides
some
hope
to
Rakshit’s
family
as
they
await
further
developments.
Currently,
all
crew
members
are
under
detention
following
the
seizure
of
their
vessel.
The
incident
has
raised
concerns
about
their
safety
and
well-being
while
in
custody.
The
families
of
those
detained
are
anxiously
awaiting
news
of
their
loved
ones’
release.
The
situation
remains
tense
as
efforts
continue
to
secure
the
release
of
Rakshit
and
his
fellow
crew
members.
The
involvement
of
local
authorities
and
government
officials
is
crucial
in
resolving
this
international
incident
and
ensuring
their
safe
return
home.
With
inputs
from
PTI
