Ten Indian fishermen arrested in Sri Lanka and charged over death of marine

COLOMBO: Ten Indian fishermen arrested on Monday for alleged illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters will be charged in the death of a marine killed during an operation to seize their trawler, authorities said. A senior sailor of the Navy’s Special Boat Squadron sustained serious injuries due to the “aggressive maneuvers of the Indian trawler which resisted its seizure,” a statement from the Sri Lankan Navy said.

“Unfortunately, the sailor succumbed to his injuries after being admitted to Jaffna Teaching Hospital,” it said.

The Navy said ten Indian fishermen were arrested and their trawler seized on Monday.

The trawler was taken to Kankesanthurai port and the fishermen were handed over to the Mailadi Fisheries Inspector for legal action.

The Kankesanthurai police had filed a ‘B’ report in the Mallakam Court in Jaffna demanding prosecution of ten Indian fishermen.

“They are accused of illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters, the death of a naval personnel during the operation and damaging naval property,” the statement said.

The Jaffna Magistrate conducted a post-mortem examination of the deceased seaman. The investigation revealed that the seaman’s death was accidental and occurred due to spinal cord injury, the Navy said.

Jaffna fishermen attended the funeral of the 40-year-old seaman in the north-western district of Kurunegala.

The fishing issue is a point of contention in relations between India and Sri Lanka. Members of the Sri Lankan Navy have even shot at Indian fishermen in the Palk Strait and confiscated their boats. There are said to have been several cases of illegal intrusion into Sri Lankan territorial waters.

The Palk Strait, a narrow strip of water separating Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka, is a rich fishing ground for fishermen from both countries.

Fishermen from both countries are repeatedly arrested for inadvertently entering each other’s waters.

The Sri Lankan Navy said it had already arrested more than 200 Indian fishermen and seized 27 trawlers for illegal fishing in the country’s waters this year.

In 2023, the Navy arrested 240 Indian fishermen and 35 trawlers for alleged poaching in Sri Lankan waters.