145;Sailor was beaten badly, not clear why146;

But, Bhandari emphasised, there was no connection between the incident and the Prophet cartoons. 8216;8216;Also, of the seven crew members from the 25-member all-Indian crew who have been detained by the Fujairah police, only one is a Muslim,8217;8217; he said.

Captain M M Saggi, Nautical Advisor to the Government of India in the Directorate General of Shipping DGS, also ruled out any link between the brawl and the Prophet cartoons. He, however, said: 8216;8216;According to our preliminary information, the fitter Jagannathan was mentally disturbed and was behaving abnormally before he allegedly attacked the crew members, including the captain of the ship, around 12.30 am on February 5.8217;8217;

He added: 8216;8216;The captain, along with others, overpowered him and managed to isolate him and restrict him from attacking further by confining him in his cabin. Later, Jagannathan was found to show no signs of life when he was visited by the ship8217;s staff after four hours.8217;8217; He said the the DGS had asked the Indian agent of the Genoa Maritime Cyprus Limited, which owns the ship, to file an FIR with the police in Mumbai regarding the incident.

8216;8216;Section 4 of the Indian Penal Code IPC provides extension of the code for extra-territorial offences. An Indian citizen can be prosecuted under the IPC irrespective of the place where the offence is committed,8217;8217; he said, pointing out that the case could also be tried as per Norwegian laws.

Meanwhile, shipping agent Bachchulal Gupta, who mentored Jagannathan and suggested that he approach Genoa for a job, said: 8216;8216;He was the kind of person who would not never interfere in a fight, let alone start one. There is something more to this incident.8217;8217;

Before joining Genoa, Jagannathan worked as an engine fitter in a vessel owned by Essar Shipping.