The bodies of four Tamil Nadu fishermen have been recovered by the Sri Lankan Navy. The Sri Lankan Navy had sunk the boat, alleged other fishermen, however, the Lankan Navy claimed that the boat sank while the fishermen were resisting arrest.
That is when the boat rammed into our vessel, claimed the Lankan Navy. The incident took place in the wee hours of Monday when nearly 1,000 fishermen on 200 boats were travelling from Kottaipattinam for fishing.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each for the families of the four fishermen. CM Palaniswami also condemned the Sri Lankan Navy, accusing it of destroying the livelihood of fishermen from Tamil Nadu.
Steps are being taken to put an end to such issues, CM Palaniswami’s office said adding that he will write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking action in this regard.
The fishermen alleged that the Lankan Navy harassed them near Neduntheevu when they were trying to return. This is when one patrol vessel rammed into a boat, and the boat carrying A Mesia, V Nagaraj, N Sam and S Senthil Kumar sank.