Chennai: A total of 60 Indian fishing boats were allegedly pelted stones by the Sri Lankan Navy ein Katchatheevu island on Saturday according to state fishing department officials. The fishing boats were engaged in fishing off the Rameshwaram coast in Tamil Nadu. The state fishing department officials said that around 25 boats along with the fishing nets and other equipment were damaged in the heavy stone-pelting.
The incident was reported on Saturday night when the boats were engaged in fishing at Katchatheevu as per the fisheries department. The fisherman said that the Sri Lankan naval officials came in five vessels and conducted heavy stone-pelting on the Indian vessels thus damaging 25 including their fishing nets. Although none of the fishermen were injured.
The fisherman association leaders have said that the Government of India should send a strong word to the Sri Lankan Navy personnel that no boat from the Tamil Nadu coast should be attacked by them. Sesuraja, a leader of the fishermen association, told IANS reporter, “This is creating a very wrong precedent and the Sri Lankan Navy has no business throwing stones at us. If our people had crossed the boundary, the duty of the Sri Lankan Navy was to appraise our team on this and not to hurl stones and damage our vessels and fishing equipment. I urge both the Central and state government to take stringent action against those involved in attacking our fishermen.”
(With inputs from IANS)