T.N. fishermen injured in ‘firing’ by Lankan Navy

Two fishermen from Nagapattinam, in Tamil Nadu, and Karaikal, in the Union Territory of Puducherry, sustained injuries in alleged firing by the Sri Lankan Navy on Wednesday, and were admitted to the Indira Gandhi Government General Hospital and Postgraduate Institute in Puducherry.

A. Aravindan (20), of Nambiar Nagar near Nagapattinam, and R. Dinesh (20), of Kilinjalmedu in Karaikal, among the nine fishermen who were on the boat, suffered bullet injuries on the hip and shoulder respectively, official sources said. The boat was partly damaged.

“We were fishing off the Kodiakarai coast when a Sri Lankan patrol boat came to the area. Its personnel threw stones and threatened to arrest us. While we tried to hide in the boat they fired indiscriminately on us. We didn’t stop the boat and returned to Karaikal,” said Aravind.

The other fishermen turned back immediately to Karaikal, from where they shifted the injured to Puducherry, according to Amal Xavier, Joint Director of Fisheries, Nagapattinam.

The injured fishermen are now in the ICU. Doctors treating them said both had sustained superficial injuries and were out of danger.

It is suspected the Sri Lankan Navy fired rubber bullets.

Doctors treating them said both sustained superficial injuries and were out of danger.

There were no metal fragments of any bullet on them and it is suspected that the Sri Lankan Navy had fired rubber bullets.

Meanwhile, fishermen’s associations have condemned the firing, especially after the recent talks between the two countries on resolving the issue.

“We were hoping that after the talks, the situation would improve. Over the past two years, there have not been many incidents of firing. It is worrying that the Sri Lankan Navy has started resorting to firing again,” said K.Vijay, a representative of the Federation of Nagai District Fishermen Associations.

M. Ilango, chairperson of the National Fishworkers Forum, said he would shortly send a representation to the External Affairs Ministry on the incident.

Meera Srinivasan reports from Colombo:

The Sri Lankan Navy has dismissed the charges of firing. “It’s fabricated,” said spokesman Captain Akram Alawi. “If Indian fishermen are found crossing the maritime boundary and venturing deep into Sri Lankan waters, we apprehend their vessels and arrest them and hand them over to Fisheries Department officials for legal action. We don’t resort to shooting.”