Fishermen attacked by Lankan Navy

Five fishermen of Pudukottai district were assaulted and their mechanised vessel was partially damaged by Sri Lankan Navy in midsea on Saturday.

K. Karthik, 25, N. Kuttiandi, 25, S. Rasu, 65, V. Anand, 48, and M. Manohar alias Vazhivittan set sail on board a mechanised boat (IND TN 08 MM 399) from Jagadapattinam jetty on Saturday morning.

Coastal Security Group (CSG) sources said a Sri Lankan Navy vessel rammed into the mechanised boat when the fishermen were beyond the International Maritime Boundary Line. They were allegedly assaulted by the navy personnel and suffered injuries. The front portion of the mechanised boat suffered damage in the collision.

The injured fishermen returned to Jagadapattinam late on Saturday. CSG and other officials shifted four of the injured fishermen barring Kuttiandi in an ambulance to Government Hospital at Manamelkudi in Pudukottai district. They were later transferred to a private hospital at Manamelkudi, the sources said.

In another incident, four fishermen of Pudukottai district escaped from drowning after their mechanised vessel sank in the sea on Saturday evening due to rough weather. Ramadevan, 49, Kumaravel,48, Balamurugan,46, and Tamizhchelvan, 50, ventured into the sea on board a mechanised vessel (IND TN 06 MM829) from Jagadapattinam on Saturday morning.

The sources said they were fishing about 15 nautical miles off Jagadapattinam when sea water entered their boat due to rough weather condition. As the boat began to sink, the four fishermen escaped, boarded a passing mechanised vessel and returned to the shore.