FILE photo: Italian marines Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone
India has asked Italy to increase security at its embassy in Rome after the mission received a live bullet and several hate mails this week amid a fresh flare-up in diplomatic tensions over the trial of two Italian marines. Italy had recalled its ambassador to India on Tuesday in protest over a delay in proceedings against the marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen.
"We have sensitised our friends in Italy and hope that necessary measures will be taken to ensure safety and security," a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs said, adding that the incident was a "matter of concern" which India viewed "very seriously".
Italy had asked Ambassador Daniele Mancini to return to the country immediately for consultations, with the foreign ministry condemning "a new and unacceptable delay by the Indian Supreme Court" in the marines' case that has heightened tensions between the two countries.
The move came after the Supreme Court, on Tuesday, adjourned a hearing that lasted only 10 minutes, saying the government needed to produce more paperwork on whether the trial could be heard under the anti-piracy legislation. The next hearing will take place on February 24.
The marines, Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, who are staying at the Italian embassy in New Delhi, are accused of killing two fishermen they mistook for pirates while guarding a cargo ship in 2012.
Rome has expressed its disappointment over the slow pace of trial. Italian authorities have also lobbied the European Union and the United Nations on the case, saying the duo should be tried in their home country, claiming that the shooting incident took place in international waters.
New Delhi denies this, saying it happened in Indian waters.