Bhatkal: The local
people at Jaali Beach in Bhatkal found the body of Maulavi Mohammed Ismail
Ruknuddin (35), who had died of drowning there, after searching for one
day.
A group of furious people gathered in protest in front of the Coastal Security Police (CSP) office on Friday, alleging that the CSP did not respond properly to an emergency situation. They also alleged that the CSP remained indifferent although two people died of drowning in Bhatkal during the last two days.
Although the government has provided a high-speed boat to the CSP,
it did not respond to the distress call for over 2 hours when Ruknuddin died on
Thursday. The protestors expressed their opinion that the CSP could have saved
his life.
Statistics reveal that 951 people had drowned in Bhatkal during the last 12 years.
Meanwhile, the CSP defended itself by saying that it does not have the permission to use high-speed boats during the monsoons.
The people than visited Inayatulla Shabandari, a JD(S) leader, and urged him to bring this to the notice of higher CSP authorities. Urging social organizations to help purchase boats for rescue operations, they said that some NRIs are willing to contribute.-MT-
