Bhubaneswar, February 6 (IANS). After the mysterious disappearance of a Merchant Navy cadet from Odisha came to light, there is an atmosphere of concern from the family to the political circles. Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) President Naveen Patnaik has termed the matter as serious and demanded immediate intervention from the Central Government.
He has appealed to the Directorate General of Shipping and the Ministry of External Affairs to immediately help in the matter and the search operation should be intensified.
Naveen Patnaik, while posting on the social media platform ‘X’, said that the news of the disappearance of Odisha’s Cadet Sarthak Mohapatra is extremely worrying. His condolences are with the family in this difficult time. He urged DG Shipping and the Ministry of External Affairs to coordinate with concerned agencies to help the family and expedite efforts to locate Sarthak safely.
According to the information, 23-year-old Sarthak Mahapatra is a resident of Bhadrak district of Odisha and was working as a deck cadet in the Merchant Navy. He was posted on a ship named ‘EA Jersey’, which is operated by Anglo-Eastern Ship Management Company.
It is being told that Sarthak went missing while the ship was in the sea. The ship was heading from Mauritius to Singapore.
According to the family, Sarthak had joined the ship as a deck cadet on 14 July 2025. On 3 February 2026, the company informed the family that Sarthak was not present on the ship and a search was on for him.
The family told that on February 2, around 9 pm, Sarthak had talked to his mother on the phone. That night he was also in touch with some of his relatives and friends. Till that time everything seemed normal.
According to the information given by the company, the duty time on the ship is usually from 4 to 8 in the morning. It was told that at around 6 am on February 3, Sarthak left his duty and went to his cabin. He was last seen going to the cabin at around 6:15 am. After this, when he was not found, a search was carried out on the ship, but no trace was found. After this the search operation was started in the sea.
It is being told that this search operation is being conducted in collaboration with the concerned maritime agencies including the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center of Mauritius. The family says that till now they have not been given clear information as to the circumstances under which Sarthak went missing. Neither any CCTV footage has been shared nor any concrete evidence or detailed report has been given to the family.
Sarthak’s mother, Rasmita Sahu, who works in a private hospital in Bhubaneswar, is extremely upset after the incident. He has appealed to Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ministry of External Affairs to bring back his son safely. She wrote on social media that she is a helpless mother and wants immediate help from the government to search for her son. The family is still hopeful that Sarthak will be safe and will be found soon.
–IANS
PIM/ABM
