Family members of two students who were arrested by the Sri Lankan navy along with 10 fishermen on January 12 when they were fishing on the high seas threatened to show black flags to Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Saturday but dropped the stir after officials assured to secure the release of the students at the earliest.
The family members of J. Sam Daniel, a plus one student and B. Durai Pandi, second year engineering student presented petitions to the fisheries department officials here on Friday, demanding the release of the students. After officials assured to take necessary action, they decided to drop the black flag agitation and the indefinite fast.
The family members would go ahead with the indefinite fast if the students were not released immediately, Antony Loyola, a family member, said. Daniel and Durai Pandi had already missed their board and semester examinations and it was doubtful whether they could continue their studies, he worried.
The students were on festival vacation when they had ventured into the sea for fishing with others to earn some money to meet their educational expenses when the Lankan navy arrested them. In all, there were 13 fishermen, including the two students in three vessels when the Lankan navy tried to arrest them on charges of trespassing into the Lankan waters.
In a bid to escape and sail back to the Indian waters, the fishermen made hasty manoeuvres and they dashed against the Lankan naval vessels. In the melee, three boats capsized and the fishermen jumped into the sea to escape. The Lankan navy rescued 12 fishermen but M Muniasamy, 55, drowned.
The Lankan naval chief had offered help to secure the release of the two students when the family members, led by fishermen leader P. Sesu Raja made a request to him during the Katchatheevu festival on March 15 but it was of no avail.