Strongly condemning the ‘unprovoked’ firing incident in the Palk Bay on Monday, allegedly involving the Sri Lankan Navy, which left a 21-year-old fisherman dead, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to summon the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India and convey the Centre’s and the State government’s strong feelings over the fisherman’s death.
In his letter to the Prime Minister, which was released to the media on Tuesday, Mr. Palaniswami said that the non-adherence to earlier agreements on the issue “should be conveyed in no uncertain terms” to the High Commissioner. The Chief Minister referred to the incident as a “cold blooded, inhuman, horrific and illegal barbaric killing of a young Indian fisherman from Tamil Nadu.”
“I also urge the government of India to ensure that the safety and security of its citizens from Tamil Nadu, who pursue their humble avocation of earning a livelihood by fishing in their traditional waters of the Palk Bay, are fully protected,” he said.
Condemning the incident in his strongly-worded letter, the Chief Minister said that it marked a “new low in the inhuman and cruel manner” in which the Sri Lankan Navy was dealing with a sensitive livelihood issue.
“The Sri Lankan Navy is resorting to tactics involving greater cruelty and unnecessary use of force in an attempt to scare away our fishermen from exercising their traditional rights,” he alleged.
“In no circumstances can such unprovoked violence from the Sri Lankan side be tolerated. It is the duty of the government of India and the government of Tamil Nadu to protect the interests and above all the life and liberty of our citizens,” he contended, adding that the actions of the Sri Lankan side “completely belies all the diplomatic efforts” that have been undertaken so far.
Mr. Palaniswami urged the Prime Minister to personally intervene in the issue and use all possible means to curb the “unacceptable aggressive actions” of the Sri Lankan Navy in the Palk Bay.
According to him, a fleet of four Sri Lankan naval vessels “surrounded the fishing boat and opened fire on the unarmed fishermen, when five fishermen on board a mechanised fishing boat were fishing in their traditional waters” of the Palk Bay around 9.30 p.m. on Monday.
One of the two fishermen who sustained bullet injuries, identified as K. Britjo, died while being brought to the shore, while the other, Saran, was hospitalised..
