Make it clear: Indian sailors are not collateral damage |
The killing of three Indian sailors in a US strike on the oil tanker MT Settebello in the Gulf of Oman is a tragic incident that adds a further complication to a bilateral relationship going through an uneasy phase. India has, rightly, voiced its objections strongly, summoning the US chargé d’affaires in New Delhi twice to protest this and other attacks that have endangered the lives of Indian mariners. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that, in a call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, he had “reiterated India’s strong protest”. That the US State Department’s account of the call fails to mention the deaths, and claims that “all commercial vessels should........