After Neduvasal, the ‘Church vasal’ of the Infant Jesus Church in Thangachimadam has become an epicentre of protest, as fisherfolk continued their agitation for the second day against the gunning down of Britjo, allegedly by the Sri Lankan navy on Monday night.
Refusing to accept the body of the 21-year-old fisherman, kept at the government hospital mortuary in Rameswaram, his family members and tens of hundreds of fisherfolk from various fishing hamlets in the island continued their protest on Wednesday in support of their demands.
They said they would end the stir only if a Union Minister or representative of the Ministry concerned came to the protest venue and assured them that the Centre would find a lasting solution to their vexatious problem within a time frame; secure the release of all arrested fishermen and boats; and to assure them that no such firing incident would recur hereafter.
“Though the State government is sympathetic to our demands, we will not call off the stir unless a Union Minister or the Centre’s representative from Ministry concerned visit us and give assurances,” P. Sesu Raja, who was spearheading the protest, told The Hindu .
He said they also wanted the Sri Lankan government to register a case against the naval personnel who opened fire on the Indian fishermen and bring them to face trial in a court of law.
Fishermen leaders dismissed the Sri Lankan navy’s denial of its involvement in the shooting. The navy had opened fire on several occasions to scare the Indian fishermen, while they were fishing in the Palk Bay and ‘its atrocity’ came to light now when the firing claimed an innocent life, they said.
Meanwhile, the marine police of the Coastal Security Group (CSG) has registered a case against the Sri Lankan navy under sections 302, 307 of the IPC and section 25(1) (A) of the Indian Arms Act. A marine police team, led by CSG Superintendent of Police R Sakthivel conducted preliminary investigation after taking possession of the bullet recovered from the body of the deceased fisherman and inspecting the mechanised boat with bullet marks.
In a related development, the Verkodu Parish, which coordinated the annunal Katchatheevu festival, announced the boycott of the festival, scheduled for March 11 and 12, to register its protest against the gunning down of the fisherman.
The St. Antony’s Church festival in Katchatheevu was the festival of fishermen and it would be meaningless to take part in the festival when there was no guarantee to the lives of the fishing community, Parish priest Rev Fr L Sagayaraj, chief coordinator of the festival, told The Hindu.
