Who is Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, man arrested for entering restricted North Sentinel Island?

A man was arrested in Andaman and Nicobar Islands for allegedly entering the prohibited tribal reserve area of the North Sentinel Island, home to the indigenous Sentinelese people, one of the last uncontacted tribes in the world.

The man, identified as Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Monday, March 31, and had allegedly entered the North Sentinel Island without any authorisation, news agency PTI quoted police as saying on Wednesday.

Who is Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov

According to the police, Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov is a 24-year-old US national who arrived in Port Blair on March 26 and ventured to North Sentinel Island from the Khurmadera beach of the archipelago, police said.

Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov's father is of Ukrainian origin, police said, adding that he visited Port Blair in October last year as well and attempted reconnaissance for North Sentinel Island using an inflatable kayak, but was stopped by hotel staff.

He also came to the islands in January this year, and had attempted to procure a motor for his boat, the report quoted police. During that visit, he went to Baratang Islands, and allegedly illegally filmed the Jarawa tribe, police said.

Also Read: The woman who made ‘friendly contact’ with Andaman’s Sentinelese

An FIR was registered against him under the Foreigners Act, 1946, along with sections of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Amendment Regulation, 2012, on the basis of a complaint lodged at the Ograbraj police station by the Tribal Welfare Officer of Tirur, Pronab Sircar.

Intimation about his arrest on Monday was communicated to the Home Department for further communication to the Ministry of External Affairs and the US Embassy, police said.

A GoPro camera was recovered from Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov after his arrest, footage from which showed him landing on North Sentinel Island, police said.

The US national at present is in police custody on the direction of a court for further interrogation.

What is Sentinel Island, who are Sentinelese people

Sentinel Island, part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal, is home to the indigenous Sentinelese people, one of the last uncontacted tribes in the world.

Known for their isolation, the Sentinelese have fiercely resisted contact with the outside world, and hunt, gather in the rainforest along with fishing in coastal water for survival.

Sentinelese people vigorously reject all contact with outsiders and have been reported to greet visitors with spears and arrows.

The Indian government has declared the Sentinel island a protected area, prohibiting visitors in an effort to preserve the tribe's autonomy and shield them from potential diseases to which they have no immunity.

American missionary John Chau was killed by the Sentinelese in November 2018 when he attempted to contact them, who are considered the world’s last pre-Neolithic tribe.

In 2006, two Indian fishermen, Sunder Raj and Pandit Tiwari, who had moored their boat near North Sentinel to sleep after poaching in the waters around the island, were killed when their boat broke loose and drifted onto the shore, according to survivalinternational.org.