Chennai: Terming as “unfortunate” incident of Indian Coast Guard personnel resorting to firing that injured two fishermen from Rameswaram, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Wednesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to instruct the Defence Ministry to avoid such incidents in the future.
In a letter to Modi, Palaniswami said the “unfortunate incident” that took place on Monday within Indian territorial waters has created panic and feeling of insecurity among the fishermen community of Tamil Nadu.
“It is reported that while fishing within our territorial waters, about 4 nautical miles from the shore near Olakkuda, around 3.15 P.M., an Indian Coast Guard ship named Rani Abaka asked the fishermen to stop their boat for inspection and fired at the fishing vessel. In the above incident, one fisherman, namely Pitchai, was injured in his left hand,” the CM told the PM.
Noting that another fisherman Johnson sustained injury in his left shoulder, he said the injured fishermen are presently admitted in the General Hospital, Rameswaram.
“The fishermen of Palk Bay region have decided that they will go on strike on 16th November, 2017 against the action of the Indian Coast Guard. You are aware that the fishermen of Palk Bay are often apprehended and their boats confiscated by the Sri Lankan Navy, while fishing in their traditional waters,” he said. Contending that the incarceration of fishermen by the Lankan Government is causing anxiety, he said “use of force towards our own fishers” by Indian Coast Guard should be avoided.
