Burial Site of American Tourist Identified, Cops Retreat Seeing Armed Tribe Members

Officers from the Police, Forest and Tribal Welfare departments and Coast Guard have reportedly identified the site where American tourist John Allen Chau was buried by Sentinelese after killing him.

According to a report in the New Indian Express, a second recce was conducted on the isolated North Sentinel island on Nov.24 by a team consisting of the officers from these departments.

The burial site of Chau has been identified by the officers but the date for the recovering the body has not been decided yet, the newspaper said citing sources.

It was also reported that team members took two accused, who are in police custody in the American tourist’s alleged killing, with them for the recce.

AFP said in its report that a police team took its boat very near to the North Sentinel Island on Nov.24 and saw the tribe members armed with bows and arrows. Policemen saw them from a distance of 400 meters using binoculars.

The news agency quoted Dependra Pathak, Director-General of police of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, as saying, “They stared at us and we were looking at them.”

He added that the boat left the place to avoid any kind of confrontation with the tribesmen.

John Allen Chau, an American tourist was killed on Nov.16 when he entered the isolated and preserved territory of protected North Sentinel tribal people, who shot him down with their arrows. Police said that his body was buried on the beach by the tribesmen.

It is not first time when an outsider had to lose his life in hands of Sentinelese for intruding their protected space. In 2006, the tribesmen killed two fishermen who were sleeping in their boats.

All visits to the island are heavily restricted by the government as the island is home to not just the tribe, but also to several sensitive defense establishments.