An American is reported to have been killed with arrows by the tribal people of a restricted island of Andaman, police said on Wednesday.
Police officer Vijay Singh said seven fishermen have been arrested for “facilitating the American’s visit to the North Sentinel Island,” where the killing apparently occurred. Visits to the island are heavily restricted by the government.
The Sentinelese people who live in the small forested island are known to resist all contact with outsiders, often attacking anyone who comes near.
According to media reports, the American was on an adventure trip to the islands and his body was found by the fishermen. However, Mr. Singh said the police were in the process of recovering the body of the man who was killed on Saturday.
U.S. consulate in Chennai aware of reports
The U.S. consulate in Chennai was aware of the reports concerning an American in the islands, but spokeswoman Kathleen Hosie declined to comment further due to privacy considerations.
Shiv Viswanathan, a social scientist and a professor at Jindal Global Law School, said the North Sentinel Island was a protected area and not open to tourists. “The exact population of the tribe is not known, but it is declining. The government has to protect them.”
Poachers are known to fish illegally in the waters around the island, catching turtles and diving for lobsters and sea cucumbers. Tribal people killed two Indian fishermen in 2006 when their boat broke loose and drifted onto the shore.
