The Naval patrol ship fired warning shots “as per standard operating procedure” after observing the “suspicious boat” which failed to heed to repeated warnings to stop, an official statement said
A 30-year-old fisherman from Vanagiri near Poompuhar in Mayiladuthurai district was injured while fishing in the Gulf of Mannar, when an Indian Naval personnel fired a gun in the wee hours on Friday. The Naval ship, which was patrolling in Palk Bay near the India Sri Lanka International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), fired warning shots “as per standard operating procedure” after observing the “suspicious boat” which failed to heed to repeated warnings to stop. One of the crew on board the boat was injured, an official press release from the Navy said.
The injured fisherman K. Veeravel (30) was administered first aid by the ship crew and evacuated by an Indian Navy Chetak helicopter to INS Parundu at Ramanathapuram. Veeravel was subsequently admitted to Ramanathapuram Government Medical College Hospital for further medical management. He was later shifted to Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai. His condition is reported to be stable. An inquiry has been ordered into the incident, the release further mentioned.