New Delhi:

The Central Bureau of Investigation has filed a case of fraud, forgery and criminal conspiracy against former Indian Coast Guard Director General K Natarajan.

According to the First Information Report, on June 7, 2021, then Coast Guard IG Rakesh Pal had handed a complaint to the Defence Secretary.

In it, he alleged that scores of his 2019 Annual Confidential Report were deliberately reduced, due to which he could not get promoted to Additional Director General.

In its FIR, the CBI has alleged that the ACR of many officers and the Non-Initiation Certificate (NIC) of some officers were found missing.
The investigating agency says the NIC certificates, transfers and postings do not match the profile of the concerned officer.

The CBI also said that the NIC certificates were submitted three or four years after the reporting deadline, which is not as per rules. The agency is investigating the matter in detail.

What are ACR and NIC?

ACR (Annual Confidential Report): It is prepared to evaluate the efficiency and promotion of government officials.

NIC (Non-Initiation Certificate) certifies the ACR of an officer has not been written within a particular time limit.

Further investigation is going on in this matter and the CBI may soon question the concerned officials.
 

Chennai:

Battling adverse weather conditions amid the deep depression off the Tamil Nadu coast, a Coast Guard chopper rescued six fishermen who were stranded on a jetty for nearly 36 hours after their boats suffered damage and sank.

Officials said the six fishermen had ventured out into the rough seas in two boats on Wednesday despite a cyclone warning. Their boats sank and they managed to clamber onto a jetty owned by a private company in Cuddalore, roughly 2 km off the coast of Chitrapettai village. They remained stranded there, with the weather getting worse, and the Tamil Nadu government sought the Coast Guard’s help. 

Despite inclement weather, the Coast Guard dispatched an advanced light helicopter from its air station in Chennai.

Videos show the chopper approaching the jetty, lowering a basket and pulling up the fishermen two at a time.

A statement from the Tamil Nadu Government said, “The men were rescued following swift action by the Chief Minister”.

The regional weather office said on Tuesday that the deep depression over the Southwest Bay of Bengal remained practically stationary about 100 km east-northeast of Trincomalee in Sri Lanka and would intensify into a cyclonic storm on Thursday night. 

“(The storm will) cross the north Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts between Karaikal and Mahabalipuram around the morning of November 30, as a depression with a wind speed of 50-60 kmph gusting to 70 kmph,” a bulletin from the weather office said.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) also said its satellites have been tracking the storm since last week.

#CycloneFENGAL Update:

ISRO satellites EOS-06 & INSAT-3DR are closely tracking Cyclone FENGAL approaching Tamil Nadu since 23-Nov-2024.

Early Detection: EOS-06 Scatterometer identified ocean wind patterns, providing crucial lead time.
Real-Time Insights:… pic.twitter.com/eFDqtMGTv1

— ISRO (@isro) November 28, 2024

“ISRO satellites EOS-06 & INSAT-3DR are closely tracking Cyclone FENGAL approaching Tamil Nadu since 23-Nov-2024. EOS-06 Scatterometer identified ocean wind patterns, providing crucial lead time. Real-Time Insights: Geostationary INSAT-3DR offers regular updates on intensity & direction. ISRO’s advanced satellite data aids in effective monitoring & mitigation, ensuring safety measures are timely and informed. Stay safe, stay prepared!” ISRO said in a post on X. 

Ahmedabad:

The Coast Guard has rescued seven Indian fishermen who were apprehended by the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) in the mid-sea off the Gujarat coast and kept on their ship near the maritime boundary between the two countries, officials said on Monday.

The incident took place on Sunday when the Coast Guard received a distress signal from an Indian fishing boat (IFB) operating near the No-Fishing Zone (NFZ) in the afternoon, said an ICG release.

“At approximately 15:30 pm, an ICG ship on patrol received a distress call from an Indian fishing boat operating near the NFZ. The call reported that another Indian fishing boat, Kal Bhairav, had been intercepted by a PMSA vessel, and seven Indian crew members on board had been apprehended,” said the release.

@IndiaCoastGuard rescued 07 fishermen apprehended by Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) near the #India#Pakistan maritime boundary on 17 Nov 24. #ICG swiftly responded to a distress call, intercepted PMSA, and ensured the safe return of the crew. #ICG remains committed to… pic.twitter.com/pP1GiTS8SC

— Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) November 18, 2024

The Coast Guard immediately swung into action and sent its ship to the location near the India-Pakistan Maritime Boundary (IMBL).

Despite efforts by the PMSA ship to retreat, the ICG ship eventually intercepted the vessel from the neighbouring country and persuaded personnel on board to release the seven Indian fishermen they had apprehended, it said.

“The ICG ship was able to retrieve the seven fishermen safely, who were all found to be in stable medical condition. Unfortunately, the Indian fishing boat, Kal Bhairav, was reported to have been damaged and sunk during the incident,” the release added.

The Indian ship returned to the Okha harbour on Monday where a joint investigation involving the ICG, the Gujarat police, intelligence agencies, and fisheries department was undertaken to probe the circumstances leading to the collision (between PMSA vessel and IFB Kal Bhairav), and the subsequent rescue operation, said the release. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

A huge fire has broken out on a merchant container vessel near Goa. The ship was on passage from Mundra to Sri Lanka’s Colombo and is now located around 102 nautical miles south west of Goa.

The Indian Coast Guard has diverted a ship to help. The ship has reached the spot and is carrying out fire-fighting operation despite rough sea and inclement weather. Two more Coast Guard ships have been sent to help with the firefighting.

An Dornier aircraft of the Coast Guard has also been launched for aerial assessment.

The ship is reported to be carrying International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) cargo. Explosions can be heard from its front part.

New Delhi:

Giving an ultimatum to the Centre on the issue of granting permanent commission to women Coast Guard officers, the Supreme Court today said “women cannot be left out” and “if you do not do it, we will do it”. “All these functionality etc argument does not hold water in 2024. Women cannot be left out. If you do not do it, we will do it. So take a look at that,” Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud told the Centre’s counsel, Attorney General R Venkataramani. The Centre’s counsel said he will ask the Coast Guard to file an affidavit.

The court set March 1 as the date for the next hearing. The petition in the matter has been filed by a woman officer of the Coast Guard. It seeks permanent commission for eligible women officers joining the force under short service commission. The Attorney General has argued that the Coast Guard is different from the Navy and Army.

The Centre was pulled up during the previous hearing in the matter on February 19. The Chief Justice had then asked why there was an “indifference” with regard to the Coast Guard. “Why don’t you want women in the Coast Guard? If women can guard the borders, they can also guard the beaches. You talk about Nari Shakti, show it here,” he had said.

The court had questioned the “patriarchal” mindset opposing induction of women into the force. “You have women in the Navy, so what’s special about the Coast Guard. We will open up the whole canvas. Gone are the days when we said that women cannot be a part of the Coast Guard,” the Chief Justice had said.

The petitioner, Priyanka Tyagi, had earlier approached the Delhi High Court, but did not get relief. In her petition, she has pointed to the Supreme Court judgments on permanent commission for women in the Army and Navy.