Lankan officials 'tore' the fishing nets and threw them into sea, Sesu Raja alleged. (Representational)
Sri Lankan Naval personnel chased away Tamil Nadu fishermen at gunpoint while they were fishing near the Katchatheevu island and damaged and threw their fishing nets into the sea, a fishermen leader alleged here on Thursday.
President of the fishermen association here, P Sesu Raja said fishermen ventured out for fishing on Wednesday from here in as many as 502 boats.
While they were fishing off the Katchatheevu island, Lankan Naval officials arrived in patrol vessels and warned against fishing in that area and went back.
Soon, they returned and chased away the fishermen at gunpoint and the officials 'tore' the fishing nets and threw them into the sea, Sesu Raja alleged. Following this, the scared fishermen returned to the shore.
The association leader blamed the State and Central governments for the continuing 'harassment' of fishermen by the Lankan Navy and said their livelihood is faced with uncertainty in view of such incidents and arrest of fishers by the island nation.
The Tamil Nadu government had all along been urging the Centre to take steps to uphold the traditional fishing rights of Indian fishermen in the Palk bay area.
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