Month after American youth was killed by Sentinelese tribe, Andaman police launches new helpline for tourists

Around 45 days after American national John Allen Chau ventured onto the forbidden North Sentinel island and got killed by the reclusive and endangered Sentinelese tribe, the Andaman and Nicobar Police on Saturday formally introduced a new police unit exclusively for tourists. A helpline was also launched.

Director-General of A&N Police, Dependra Pathak said that thousands of tourists including foreigners visit the islands every year and their safety and security have become a cause for concern after Chau’s death.

It was found during investigation that Chau had bribed some local fishermen to take him to North Sentinel which is legally off bounds for tourists and sailed at night to evade the coast guard. The youth’s body was spotted on the beach of the island on November 17 by one of the fishermen and never seen again.

The new police force will sensitize tourists to local rules, restrictions on movement in certain areas, travel permits and social and cultural taboos. The force has been provided with patrol cars, beach bikes and motorcycles to maintain vigil.

Also read | American killed in Andaman made notes of how Sentinelese tribe lives, interacts

“They were trained to interact with tourists and familiarised with local culture and history,” Pathak said.

The new unit will be stationed at Corbyn’s Cove Beach, Marina Park, Cellular ]ail, Chidiyatapu, Radhanagar Beach, Kalapathhar Beach, Elephanta Beach, Baratang Jetty, Limestone caves (Baratang Island) and Bharatpur beach (Neil Island). Other places will be added later.

A day ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the islands on Sunday, the police administration had also introduced on a counter-assault unit named Parakram.

Read | American national John Allen Chau violated every rule in the book to meet the Sentinelese