- By Ajeet Kumar
- Tue, 04 Aug 2026 03:21 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
- Family petitions SC, claims Captain Ashish Kumar is alive.
- WhatsApp messages delivered, DNA test negative for remains.
- Ransom calls received, alleging capture by foreign actors.
New Delhi: The family of merchant Navy Captain Ashish Kumar, a resident of Bihar’s Bettiah district, who was presumed dead following a missile attack, has filed a petition in the Supreme Court arguing "he is still alive" and has been in the capture of some “foreign actors”. According to Kumar’s family, the WhatsApp messages were delivered successfully hours after the attack was reported, and the DNA tests yielded negative results.
What happened on March 1?
According to the plea, Captain Ashish Kumar was steering the merchant vessel MT Skylight in the Strait of Hormuz on March 1, a day after the US military launched a massive airstrike on Iran. As reported by Live Law, the petition states that the family was informed the ill-fated vessel had 20 sailors on board, of whom 18 were rescued, and two were missing.
It was initially assumed that Kumar had died in the incident after burnt skeletal remains were recovered from the captain’s cabin. However, DNA testing later returned a negative result when compared with samples provided by his younger brother.
WhatsApp messages delivered successfully after missile attack
A petition filed before the Supreme Court contends that Captain Kumar may still be alive, citing scientific and electronic evidence that challenges the earlier presumption of his death following an attack on his vessel.
The petition points to electronic evidence suggesting the captain remained alive after the incident. It states that a WhatsApp message sent by the petitioner on the day of the attack was successfully delivered to the captain’s second mobile phone more than three hours after the vessel was struck, indicating that the device survived the attack. The petition also alleges subsequent activity on the device pointing to physical operation by unknown persons, and notes that calls to the number frequently returned a “call on hold” status.
According to Kumar’s wife, her family has received multiple calls from foreign actors demanding ransom to release the captain. She also argued that the WhatsApp profile picture was deleted “manually” exactly 30 days after the incident.
What is WhatsApp automatic account deletion policy?
According to WhatsApp’s inactive account deletion policy, the messaging app generally deletes accounts after 365 days of inactivity. Inactivity is defined as the user not having connected to WhatsApp. Other users may see the notification “WhatsApp profile removed automatically” or notice that a user’s profile picture has been removed if their account is inactive.
Biological tests yield negative match
According to the plea, the Indian Embassy in Muscat informed the family on May 15, 2026, that recovered remains did not belong to Captain Kumar. The petition describes this finding as conclusive scientific evidence disproving the earlier assumption of death. It further relies on a Biological Technical Examination Report issued by the Directorate General of Search and Criminal Investigation of the Royal Oman Police, which reportedly detected no human DNA in the examined bone fragments.
No proper communication channel
The petitioner claims that despite repeated communications to the Ministry of External Affairs, the Indian Embassy in Muscat, the Directorate General of Shipping and other authorities through emails, legal notices and representations, no specialised cross-border investigation has been initiated. The continued failure of the Union government to trace Captain Ashish Kumar, the petition argues, violates his fundamental rights under Article 21 of the Constitution.