The Sri Lankan Navy brutally killed another Tamil Nadu fisherman off the Vedaranyam coast in Nagapattinam district late Saturday night. Ten days after the shooting death of a fisherman mid-sea on January 12, a Sri Lankan Navy vessel intercepted three fishermen who had cast their nets southeast of Kodiakkarai, allegedly tied a rope around the neck of one of them, and dragged him in the sea till he drowned.
India strongly and unequivocally condemned the killing, saying that use of force must be “eschewed” in all such situations. Colombo, meanwhile, rejected as “baseless” the charge that Sri Lankan Navy personnel were involved. “We have received reports of the tragic killing of another Indian fisherman allegedly due to use of force by Sri Lankan Navy personnel. The external affairs minister has expressed the government’s strong and unequivocal condemnation of this violent incident and conveyed his deep sympathies to the family of the deceased,” an external affairs ministry statement said. External affairs minister S.M. Krishna has taken the matter “very seriously”, saying it is “unacceptable” and has sought a report from the Indian mission in Colombo, sources said. “On receiving the news, the government immediately raised the matter with the Sri Lankan government both in New Delhi and in Colombo. The Sri Lankan government was requested to seriously investigate this incident and ensure that it does not recur.
The spokesman of the Sri Lankan Navy, Capt. Athula Senarth, said the “allegations are baseless and without proof”, adding, “We have given strict instructions to our naval patrols and we ensure that these instructions are carried out.” The two other fishermen, who returned to shore with the body of 28-year-old N. Jayakumar Sunday morning, were injured in the attack and have been admitted to hospital. The incident left fishing hamlets down south tense.
The police said Jayakumar, with his brother Senthil, 25, and an associate, Rajendran, 42, had gone out to sea in a fibre boat from Pushpavanam Saturday evening. They had anchored their boat and cast their nets about 20 km (11 nautical miles) southeast of Kodiakkarai, reportedly within the international maritime boundary line, when a Sri Lankan Navy vessel came towards them.
“The Sri Lankan sailors held the fishermen at gun point and asked them to jump into the sea,” a police officer said. “While Senthil and Rajendran immediately obeyed, Jayakumar hesitated because he wasn’t sure if he could swim in the choppy sea.”
A Sri Lankan sailor jumped into the fishing boat and tied a noose around Jayakumar’s neck with a nylon rope from the boat. “According to the survivors’ accounts, the loose end of the rope was thrown into the Navy vessel and the victim was dragged out into the water, strangling him to death,” the officer said. Senthil and Rajendran were then ordered to fish out the body.
After they brought the body ashore on Sunday, there was tension when the family of the fisherman protested on the streets. “They carried the victim’s body and demonstrated outside the taluk office in Vedaranyam,” the officer said.
On behalf of the district administration, Nagapattinam MP A.K.S. Vijayan and district revenue officer V. Rajendran handed over a cheque for Rs 5 lakhs as compensation to the victim’s wife, Murugeswari.