NAGAPATTINAM: Three fishermen from Vellapallam coastal village in the district were injured in an alleged mid-sea assault off the coast of Kodiyakkarai during the late hours on Tuesday by a group of Sri Lankan fishermen, who also robbed their catch.
According to the injured fishermen, six of them from Meenavar Colony, Vellapallam, ventured into the sea in two fibre reinforced plastic boats on Monday.
While the crew was fishing about 15 nautical miles off the coast of Kodiyakkarai, a group of six Sri Lankan fishermen arrived at the spot in two vessels and allegedly assaulted the Indian group with logs and damaged their fishing gear.
In the assault, three fishermen, Sellapandi, Kasinathan and Arul, sustained injuries on their limbs. Besides, GPS gadgets and fishermen’s catch worth `25,000 were also said to have been grabbed by the Sri Lankan fishermen.
The injured fishermen managed to return to Vellapallam on Wednesday morning and they were subsequently admitted to the Nagapattinam government hospital.
On hearing about the incident, Tamil Nadu Fisheries Minister K A Jayapal and collector T Munusamy visited the ailing fishermen at the GH on Wednesday.
The injured fishermen have also lodged a complaint regarding the assault with the Marine police and fisheries officials.