Earthquake of magnitude 5.8 hits Andaman and Nicobar Islands
The quake hit the islands at 12:53 am on Saturday.
An American tourist was allegedly murdered on an island inhabited by the Sentinelese tribe in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The tourist identified as John Allen Chau was allegedly killed by unknown persons in North Sentinel Island and a case of murder was registered by the police, news agency ANI reported.
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According to reports, seven fishermen who took the tourist to the island where the indigenous people live, have been arrested in connection with the murder.
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Media reports said the arrested fishermen told the police that they had seen the tourist being attacked with bows and arrows after he landed on the island. The tribes then dragged him onto the beach before he disappeared from their sight, the police were told.
In 2006, two Indian fishermen who were poaching mud crabs near the island were attacked and killed. An Indian Coast Guard helicopter sent to retrieve the bodies was repelled by a volley of arrows.
The Sentinelese are an uncontacted tribe living on North Sentinal Island, who are known to vigorously reject all contact with outsiders.
Contact imposed upon other Andaman tribes has had a devastating impact.
Following a campaign by Survival, the global movement for tribal peoples’ rights and local organisations, the Indian government abandoned plans to contact the Sentinelese.
Survival is campaigning to ensure that their current position – to not make further attempts to contact the tribe – is maintained.
The Indian law protects the Sentinelese people, whose population is estimated at 40 to 500.
They cannot be prosecuted and any contact with them or entry into areas inhabited by them is illegal.
In 2017, the government had clarified that the Sentinelese are identified as an “aboriginal tribe” and that videos showing them cannot be uploaded on social media or the internet.
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