Four more fishermen were on Thursday allegedly taken into custody by Sri Lankan Navy for fishing near Katchatheevu, the second such incident in as many days.
Sri Lankan Navy, assisted by helicopter gunships, on Saturday destroyed three Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam boats, killing at least 15 of its cadres, while rebels said they sank two naval vessels in a fierce sea battle.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Monday said the Centre's "inadequate response" to apprehension and detention of Indian fishermen "has emboldened the Sri Lankan Navy to harass" them, and sought a "robust diplomatic response" on the emotive issue.
Sri Lankan navy personnel on Sunday allegedly assaulted four Indian fishermen for not helping one of their colleagues, who fell in their boat while trying to jump in the vessel and suffered a fracture.
The Sri Lankan Navy on Sunday arrested 17 fishermen along with their three boats when they were fishing near Katchatheevu, police said Rameshwaram.
The police confirmed that the boat had not crossed the maritime borders when the firing occurred.
The incident occurred about 30 nautical miles from the Indian coast where a group of nine fishermen from Kanniyakumari in Tamil Nadu were fishing.
The navy engaged a flotilla of Tamil Tiger boats off the island's northeast and sank one boat, killing 15 rebels.
After stepping up attacks on the Union government over India's participation in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka last month, chorus is mounting in Tamil Nadu among opposition parties over the country's offer to train Sri Lankan Naval personnel.
'The food the Sri Lankans gave us was horrible. It used to stink. We used to throw most of it away... In the night my legs used to be in someone's face and his legs used to be in my lap. There was no space... There was no toilet... Both our bathing water and drinking water were salty. We had to beg the guards for clean drinking water.' Rediff.com's A Ganesh Nadar speaks to Indian fishermen just released from Sri Lankan custody.
Sri Lankan Navy on Tuesday allegedly sank an Indian fishing boat by colliding against it near Katchathivu, and arrested 15 fishermen from this coastal town in separate incidents, police said.
The Sri Lankan Navy on Thursday arrested 32 Indian fishermen for alleged illegal fishing off the east coast, taking the total number of fishermen arrested during the last two days to nearly 70.
The 49 Indian fishermen, arrested by Sri Lankan navy recently, have been released and will return home in a couple of days, Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday said in Chennai.
At least 10 fishermen from this coastal town have been taken into custody by the Sri Lankan navy for reportedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line and fishing in their waters.
Seven Indian fishermen have been arrested by Sri Lankan navy for allegedly poaching in the country's waters in North Western province, media reported on Wednesday.
The arrest comes a day after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam asked the Centre to send a 'firm message' to the island nation over continued apprehension of the state's fishermen.
Sixty-five Indian fishermen in nine trawlers have been detained by the Sri Lankan navy for allegedly violating the international maritime border.
Four fishermen from Tamil Nadu's Nagapattinam district were allegedly attacked by Sri Lankan Navy personnel with wooden logs while they were fishing off Kodiakarai coast in a mechanised boat, official sources said on Thursday. The fishermen, who went for fishing on Wednesday, returned on Thursday morning. They have been admitted to a government hospital with injuries.
Sri Lanka's Defence Ministry claimed that six attack boats, including two suicide craft, of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were destroyed during a heavy sea battle erupted on Wednesday morning in seas south off Delft.
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) authorizes actor Vijay to decide on alliances for the upcoming Assembly elections and announces him as their Chief Ministerial candidate.
Sri Lankan Navy, who on Saturday surprised Indian fishermen trawling near Katchatheevu by offering them soft drinks and sweets, attacked eight fishermen in the Indian territory off Dhamushkodi coast early on Monday, fisheries department sources said.
Indian fishermen trawling near Katchatheevu were in for a big surprise on Sunday when Sri Lankan navalmen not only allowed them to fish but also offered them soft drinks and sweets.
Amidst stepped up pressure to secure the release of over 220 Tamil Nadu fishermen detained in Sri Lanka, 22 more were arrested by the island navy early on Sunday while fishing in the Palk Strait.
They also pelted stones at the fishermen before driving them away
Taking up the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister E K Palaniswami, in a letter, said the state government was "extremely" concerned over such incidents
Actor-politician Vijay held his first public meeting in Puducherry, criticising the central government for neglecting the union territory's demand for statehood and praising the local government's impartiality. He also targeted the DMK government in Tamil Nadu, suggesting they could learn from Puducherry.
Ten Indian fishermen, arrested for allegedly engaged in illegal fishing in the Sri Lankan waters on Monday, will be charged with the death of a Navy sailor, who was killed in an operation to seize their trawler, authorities in Colombo said.
"Operation Sagar Bandhu ' Humanitarian Assistance. In the wake of the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah across Sri Lanka, India swiftly launched Operation Sagar Bandhu to bolster relief efforts," the Indian Air Force said in a post on X on Saturday.
Sri Lankan naval personnel allegedly beat the four fishermen with nylon ropes off Katchatheevu, an islet ceded to Lanka in the 1970s, fisheries department officials said.
The Indian Air Force has stepped up its efforts to assist Sri Lanka in the wake of Cyclone Ditwah, deploying aircraft and helicopters for relief operations and evacuation of stranded citizens under Operation Sagar Bandhu.
Sri Lanka is facing a severe crisis after Cyclone Ditwah caused widespread flooding and landslides, resulting in numerous deaths and displacement. India has launched 'Operation Sagar Bandhu' to provide relief. The situation is expected to remain critical with rising river levels and continued rainfall.
An investigation into the disappearance of a merchant navy cadet off the Sri Lankan coast reveals his last known location and details of the search efforts.
The Indian Navy rescued an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel with 19 Pakistani crew members and a Sri Lankan trawler in two swift operations after armed pirates hijacked the boats in the Arabian Sea amid deteriorating security situation arising out of Iran-backed Houthi rebels targeting various cargo ships in the region.
As many as 86 Indian fishermen have been arrested and their 10 fishing boats seized by the Sri Lanka Navy for allegedly poaching in the country's waters, naval officials said on Friday.
Cyclone Ditwah exits Sri Lanka after causing widespread destruction and over 120 deaths, heading towards the Indian coast. Heavy rains and high winds are expected to continue.
Nine fishermen from Tamil Nadu were set free by Sri Lankan authorities on Saturday within hours of being detained by the island nation's navy off Dhanushkodi near Rameshwaram, officials said. The fishermen were fishing in Indian waters when the Sri Lankan naval men allegedly assaulted them using rubber pipes and wood before taking them away in their boats, they said.
An inspiring spell from Shorna Akter (3/27) helped Bangladesh bowl out Sri Lanka for a modest 202 after Hasini Perera struck a career-best 85 in their must-win women's World Cup match in Navi Mumbai on Monday.
Sixteen fishermen of Rameswaram and their four boats were detained on Monday allegedly by Sri Lankan naval personnel when they were fishing near the islet of Katchatheevu.
The seven, part of groups of fishermen who put out to sea from Rameswaram in TN, have been taken to Talaimannar in northern Sri Lanka.
Fifty-three fishermen, including 30 from Rameshwaram, were arrested by the Sri Lankan naval personnel off Talaimannar and Jaffna early Thursday morning, Fisheries Association officials said.
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