A group of Indian fishermen from Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu, were remanded by the Mannar Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday for allegedly entering ‘Sri Lankan territorial waters’ and engaging in unauthorised fishing activities.
The fishermen had departed from Rameshwaram harbour on Monday, 30 June, before they were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy off the north-western coast. According to reports, the fishermen were detained for allegedly breaching the maritime boundary and engaging in illegal fishing practices.
Upon their arrest, the group was taken to the Mannar Naval Camp, where preliminary inquiries were conducted by naval personnel. The fishermen were subsequently handed over to officials from the Department of Fisheries in Mannar for further investigation.
Following additional questioning, the fishermen were produced before the Mannar Magistrate’s Court later that day. The Magistrate ordered that all seven individuals be held in remand custody until 11 July, pending further legal proceedings.
Incidents involving the arrest of Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan waters have been a long-standing and sensitive issue. Despite ongoing diplomatic discussions between New Delhi and Colombo, the repeated arrests, assaults and attacks by the Sri Lankan navy on Indian fishermen continues to strain relations.
