Tamil Nadu Fisherman Shot By Rubber Bullet Near Lankan Water, Probe Ordered

A fisherman from Tamil Nadu was injured mid-sea in the palk bay near the India-Sri Lanka International Maritime Boundary Line, after the Indian Navy fired at his boat for failing to stop. The Indian Navy, in a statement, has said that the shots were fired after the boat did not stop despite repeated warnings and that the standard operating procedures, or sops, were followed by its personnel.

The fisherman is reported to be stable and out of danger, police said.

"We are investigating the incident. We understand the firing has happened in the Gulf of Mannar area near the internal border line," a police official told NDTV.

PMK Chief Dr P Ramadoss has demanded a compensation of Rs 25 lakh for the fisherman. 

Incidents of firing and attacks at sea have long troubled fishermen from Tamil Nadu, who usually face attacks from the Sri Lanakan Navy. Over the last few decades, more than 600 Indian fishermen have died from pellets fired by the Lankan Navy.

Depletion of fish population in  Indian waters due to over exploitation is often cited as the reason for Indian fishing boats venturing into Lankan waters.

Though attacks on Indian fishermen by Lankan Navy have stopped, the Lankan government has started auctioning the seized Indian boats in a shift from the erstwhile policy of returning them after due legal process. There have also been instances of Lankan Navy attacking Indian fishermen besides seizing or damaging their nets.

Tamil Nadu has been demanding retrieval of the Katchatheevu island from Sri Lanka, which India had gifted to the island nation in the seventies. This many say would at least enlarge the permissible fishing area.

Former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had mooted the idea of a long term lease agreement between India and Sri Lanka to permit Indian fishermen fish in Lankan waters.