T’puram: The mother of a fisherman, who has been missing off the Kollam coast for the past seven days, ended her protest outside Coastal police station after Union minister of state Suresh Gopi and the police assured that a fresh search would be launched on Friday.Reshma, mother of Gautham Krishna, sat in protest outside the police station demanding that authorities intensify the search and that senior officials, including the district collector, intervene in the case.“My son has been missing for seven days. I will not leave this place until he is found. The district collector and other officials should come here and ensure that every possible effort is made to trace him,” she said.Gautham Krishna was among a 14-member team of fishermen who had ventured into the sea from the Neendakara coast for fishing last week. While 13 fishermen were rescued, Gautham went missing following an accident at sea.The protest gathered steam after Reshma held discussions with Coastal Police officials. According to the family, police told her that no fresh search operation had been carried out because the family had not formally sought one. Upset by the response, she walked out of the meeting and began the sit-in.“Why should a mother have to ask the authorities to search for her missing son? Isn’t it their responsibility to make every possible effort to trace a fisherman who disappeared at sea?” she asked.Reshma alleged that the search conducted immediately after the accident was only a formality and that no sustained, coordinated operation involving all the concerned agencies had been carried out in the days that followed.As the protest continued, Kollam ACP reached the Coastal police station and held discussions with Reshma and her family. Suresh Gopi and state fisheries minister V E Abdul Gafoor also assured Reshma that all possible assistance would be extended.
