The COVID–19 scare has forced the Indian Coast Guard to release 15 Sri Lankan fishermen, who were nabbed on Wednesday off Kanniyakumari coast for entering Indian waters, instead of handing them over to the State police, to be remanded in judicial custody as being done usually.
When 15 Sri Lankan fishermen in three boats were fishing inside the Indian territorial waters 70 nautical miles off Kanniyakumari coast on Wednesday, they were nabbed by the Indian Coast Guard ship operating from the Kochi base. As they were handed over to the Indian Coast Guard unit operating from the Thoothukudi base, the detained fishermen were taken in ICG Abhiraj.
When the ICG ship carrying the Sri Lankan fishermen started its journey towards VOC Port, Thoothukudi, its base, health officials of the seaport opposed to it saying that foreign nationals and their boats could not be allowed to enter the harbour in the wake of COVID – 19 pandemic that has triggered panic across globe.
Consequently, the ICG officials held prolonged discussion with their higher-ups on handing them over either to the Tamil Nadu police’s coastal security group in the sea to be remanded in judicial custody as usual or to the Sri Lankan navy.
Since the ICG top brass decided in favour of handing over the detained Sri Lankan fishermen to the navy of the island nation, the ICG informed the Sri Lankan Navy to receive their fishermen. Subsequently, they were handed over to the Sri Lankan navy.