The marine police of the Coastal Security Group registered First Information Report (FIR) against the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Tuesday, based on a complaint from a Rameswaram fisherman alleging that he was fired at even as the ICG denied opening fire.
Alleging that the ICG opened fire at them when they were fishing on the high seas on Monday, two injured fishermen, K. Pichai Arokiyadass and S Johnson, produced a 0.22 cm diameter aluminium bullet as proof of firing. The marine police took possession of the bullet.
In his complaint, Arokiyadass said that he, along with five other fishermen were fishing on the high seas, about four nautical miles from Olaikuda in the shore in Indian waters around 3 15 pm when personnel from the ICG vessel - 77 asked them to stop. When they kept moving stating that they had laid the net and could not stop, the coast guard personnel opened fire at them, they alleged.
The ICG personnel gave some ointment to be applied on the wounds and left after obtaining signature from Sandro, the driver of the trawler in a prepared statement. The fishermen were not aware of the content of the statement, he added.
After they stopped the trawler, four ICG personnel got into their boat and beat them with stick and iron rods for not stopping the trawler. They asked whether they knew Hindi and when the fishermen replied in the negative, the coast guard personnel beat them again and asked them to learn Hindi, he said.
The fishermen were treated at Government hospital in Rameswaram on their return to the shore on Tuesday morning. The bullet, after piercing through the left forehand of Arokiyadass, hit the left shoulder of Johnson, the fishermen alleged. Dr Meena Kumari who treated the fishermen described the wounds as ‘gun shot injury’ in her report. “The two fishermen suffered simple injuries and their conditions are stable,” she told The Hindu .
A case has been registered invoking Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 307 (attempt to murder) of IPC and Section 27(1) of the Arms Act, 1959.
Meanwhile, leaders of fishermen associations condemned the ICG for opening fire on the fishermen and demanded action against those involved in the incident. They have decided to abstain from fishing for a day on Wednesday and stage a demonstration in front of the Rameswaram bus stand on Thursday to register their protest.
