Chandigarh:
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to make use of all diplomatic channels for securing the release of the 35 Indian crew members of the vessel 'MV Desh Shanti' who have been in the custody of Iranian authorities since August 12.
In two separate letters to Dr Singh and External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, Mr Badal asked Centre to expedite the release of the vessel along with its crew and captain, SS Cheema, who lives in Mohali.
An official spokesman said that the Merchant Navy Officers' Association led by Captain Lalit Chander Dharmani along with Neena Cheema, the wife of Captain Cheema, called on Mr Badal in Chandigarh on Thursday evening to apprise him about the matter and seek his support for the release of the crew members.
They informed Mr Badal that "the crew members have been arrested on the grounds that the ship had allegedly polluted Iranian waters".
Captain Cheema reportedly told his wife over the telephone that his vessel was in no way responsible for any pollution and had not committed any irregularities.
The Shipping Corporation of India, owned MV Desh Shanti, was carrying crude oil from Basrah in Iraq when it was detained by Iranian authorities and taken to Bandar Abbas port on the grounds that it had polluted their seas.