Sri Lanka releases recently held fishermen to Indian Naval officers

Chennai, Aug 3 (PTI) The Sri Lankan Navy handed over two fishermen, recently apprehended, and also the mortal remains of a fisherman who died at sea to the Indian Navy near the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) in the wee hours on Saturday, an official release here said.

Indian Navy ship, INS Bitra, which was on deployment off Rameshwaram, coordinated with the Sri Lankan Navy ship and received the fishermen and the dead body at sea at about 1 am.

The Indian Navy ship then proceeded to Rameshwaram, where the Navy Officer from the Naval Detachment coordinated with marine police and Tamil Nadu Fisheries department in transferring the mortal remains and the fishermen, at around 3 am, the release said.

On August 1, a fisherman from Tamil Nadu’s Rameswaram reportedly died and another went missing when the boat in which they were fishing in the mid-sea capsized after colliding with the Sri Lankan Navy ship.

The mechanised fishing boat capsized when the Sri Lankan Navy attempted to arrest them on charges of illegal fishing, a senior fisheries official had said. Four fishermen from Rameswaram who were on board fell into the sea after the boat capsized.

While one fisherman reportedly died and another went missing, two men were detained by the Lankan authorities then. PTI