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Kin to sue supervisor as sailor dies of heat stroke

DUBAI - The relatives of the 20-year-old Indian sailor, Swaranjith Singh, who died on Tuesday following a heat stroke will file a case against the supervisor of the vessel, for allegedly forceing the sailor to work under the sun without a break.

Swaranjith died at the Kuwaiti Hospital on Tuesday morning where he was admitted following a severe heat stroke. He was on board the MV Nancy, owned by the UAE-based Kasab Shipping Company, which is currently docked in Sharjah Creek.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Paranjith Singh, a relative of the deceased said “They visited the Buhaira police station in Sharjah yesterday to discuss the matter with local police officials. We will file a case against the supervisor of the ship on Saturday.”

“He forced Swaranjith to work under the sun without any break which proved fatal,” the relative said, adding, “according to the UAE law workers are entitled to have a mid-day break. The supervisor did not allow him to take rest even during the mid-day break.”

“I went to the port and met Swaranjith’s colleagues who told me that the supervisor was also very rude to him,” he alleged.

“We have informed the family of his tragic death.

They are in a state of shock. They keep asking how it happened and when would we repatriate the body. But still we are not sure when the legal formalities will be completed,” he said.

An official from the Mission to Seafarers, an association assisting the relatives, said: “We will give all the assistance to the relatives for any legal action they may want to initiate. We are helping them to make sure that Swaranjith’s family can get his insurance claim.”