In the early hours of Saturday, the Sri Lankan Navy handed over two recently apprehended fishermen and the mortal remains of a deceased fisherman to the Indian Navy near the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL). The Indian Navy ship, INS Bitra, which was deployed off the coast of Rameshwaram, coordinated with a Sri Lankan Navy ship to facilitate the transfer at around 1 AM, according to an official release, as quoted by PTI.


Following the transfer at sea, INS Bitra proceeded to Rameshwaram. Upon arrival, a Navy Officer from the Naval Detachment coordinated with the marine police and the Tamil Nadu Fisheries department to transfer the mortal remains and the detained fishermen around 3 AM.


The incident leading to these events occurred on August 1, when a fishing boat from Tamil Nadu's Rameswaram capsized after colliding with a Sri Lankan Navy ship. The collision occurred while the Sri Lankan Navy was attempting to arrest the fishermen on charges of illegal fishing, according to a senior fisheries official.


The mechanized fishing boat had four fishermen on board, all from Rameswaram. Following the collision, one fisherman reportedly died, another went missing, and two were detained by Sri Lankan authorities.




Meanwhile, 21 Indian fishermen have been successfully repatriated and are on their way to Chennai from Colombo.










 





 

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Earlier, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin expressed shock and grief over the tragic death of the fisherman Malaisamy. He announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the family. Further, he criticised the union government for not taking appropriate action, which has led to the arrests of Tamil Nadu fishermen by Sri Lankan authorities, despite repeated requests.