An American tourist has been detained by Indian authorities for attempting to approach the highly isolated and protected Sentinelese tribe on North Sentinel Island in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The man, identified as Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, reportedly reached the restricted island on a boat from a nearby area. His attempt to make contact with the tribe violated strict Indian laws that ban any kind of interaction with the Sentinelese people to protect their safety and way of life.
The Sentinelese are one of the world's last uncontacted tribes and are known to aggressively resist outsiders. Past incidents, including the killing of American missionary John Allen Chau in 2018, have led the Indian government to reinforce a no-contact policy.
Authorities have taken the tourist into custody and launched a full investigation. Officials say such actions not only endanger the lives of those involved but also pose a serious health risk to the tribe, which has no immunity to outside diseases.
This incident has once again raised concerns about the challenges of protecting indigenous communities in a globally connected world.