MAYILADUTHURAI: Six fishermen from Tharangambadi in the district were allegedly assaulted by Sri Lankan Navy personnel at sea near the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) in the wee hours of Thursday.
According to sources, P Balasubramaniyan (40), A Karthi (32), M Arunkumar (27), S Madhavan (36),
V Murugan (55) and boat owner P Velmurugan (42) put out to sea in Tharangambadi on Tuesday night.
Around 4 am on Thursday, the fishermen were fishing about a dozen nautical miles off Kodiyakarai when the Sri Lankan personnel confronted them. They boarded the fishing vessel and assaulted the fishermen for around three hours. They then seized their equipment onboard such as the GPS, battery, fishing rods and lifebuoys before leaving, sources added.
The injured fishermen returned to shore on Thursday afternoon and complained to the local authorities. They also received treatment at Mayiladuthurai Government General Hospital. Based on a complaint, the Vedaranyam Marine Police registered a case. Police said the fishing boat was unregistered.