Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi sharply criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP-led government after three Indian seafarers were killed in a US military action involving the oil tanker MT Settebello near the Gulf region.According to the report, the vessel was targeted after US forces alleged that it had violated a naval blockade imposed on Iranian ports.Of the 24 Indian crew members on board, 21 were rescued, while three sailors were confirmed dead.

The victims were identified as marine engineer Patnala Suresh from Visakhapatnam, Shivanand Chaurasia from Uttar Pradesh, and Aditya Sharma from Himachal Pradesh.The controversy intensified after Indian External Affairs Minister S.Jaishankar spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding the deaths.

Following the conversation, the US State Department stated that commercial vessels must comply with instructions issued by American forces and warned that violations of the blockade would not be tolerated.

Rahul Gandhi argued that the US response showed a lack of remorse and accused the Indian government of failing to defend the country's dignity and sovereignty.

He claimed that a truly independent nation would not accept such language from a foreign government and alleged that Prime Minister Modi remained silent despite the deaths of Indian citizens.

Other opposition leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Manish Tewari, and Pawan Khera, also criticized the government's handling of the incident.They questioned the absence of a stronger public response and argued that India should have demanded an apology.

Meanwhile, Jaishankar stated that he had formally conveyed India's strong protest to the United States, describing lethal actions against commercial shipping as unjustified.

India's Ministry of External Affairs also summoned the US Charge d'Affaires and officially registered its protest over the attacks on commercial vessels near the coast of Oman.