DMK president M. Karunanidhi alleged on Friday that the Centre’s failure to take follow-up action had resulted in the death sentence awarded to five Tamil Nadu fishermen by a Sri Lankan court.
In a statement, he said that though Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who attended the swearing-in of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ordered the release of all Indian fishermen, these five were not freed. “After spending 35 months in jail, now they are facing the death sentence.”
He said that when the UPA was in power, DMK MP Kanimozhi had raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha and sought India’s intervention. The then External Affairs Minister, Salman Khurshid, wrote to her, explaining the steps taken to help the fishermen. “But there was no follow-up. This has led to their being sentenced to death now.”
Mr. Karunanidhi said that since there was time to appeal the sentence in the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka, the Indian government should take up the issue with the Sri Lankan government and ensure their release.
