Vizhinjam: Nine fishermen spent a day and a half in the sea with the body of a crew member as the coastal police in both Kerala and Tamil Nadu tried to wash their hands off by claiming that the fatal accident happened outside their respective jurisdictions. The body of Anthony Pillai, a 50-year-old fisherman from Kollam who fell off the boat at 3 am on January 11, was finally handed over to his family at Vizhinjam on Saturday afternoon.
The boat that carried Pillai and nine others left for sea from Thoppumpadi in Kochi on January 10. About 100 nautical miles off the coast, Pillai fell off the boat. Xavier, who was at the helm, immediately turned the boat and jumped after the drowning man, who was his relative. The other members of the crew were woken up by the commotion and they helped Xavier fish out Pillai. It was too late.
The crew set out to Pattanam in Tamil Nadu, the nearest harbour, but the authorities turned the boat away saying that the accident happened within Kerala’s maritime zone. The boat was not welcome at Vizhinjam either. The coastal police at the Kerala port claimed that the death should have been reported in Tamil Nadu.
Pillai’s family and neighbours had to pull some strings to prevail upon the police at Vizhinjam. The boat was finally allowed to moor at the old wharf at Vizhinjam. The body was handed over to the family after post-mortem. The coastal police have registered a case of unnatural death.
The police suspect that Pillai might have moved to the edge of the boat to take a leak when the accident happened. He had been sleeping on a net on the deck. The crew had yet to start fishing. They were not supposed to return for a month at least.
Pillai is survived by wife Punitha and children Priyanka, Pranav and Prince. The family said that he had left behind heavy liabilities.
