NAGAPATTINAM: A total of 12 fishermen who ventured into sea from Seruthur as three separate groups came under attack, allegedly from Sri Lanka nationals, on Thursday night. Besides all three groups reporting the pirates holding them at knifepoint and stealing their valuables like mobile phones and fish catch, four of the fishermen injured in the attack were hospitalised on Friday.
In one incident, a group of four fishermen put out to sea in a boat from Seruthur on September 10. One of them was from Karangadu while the others were from Seruthur.
Around 10 pm on Thursday, while they were fishing about 15 nautical miles off Kodiyakarai, a five-member gang of Tamil speaking persons from Sri Lanka in a boat intercepted them. Holding the crew at knifepoint, the gang snatched a mobile phone, gold and silver chains, battery light, 20 kg of fish and an outboard engine, among others.
The gang also rained blows on the fishermen, in which one of them, M Tamizhazhagan (26), suffered wrist dislocation, sources said. Once the pirates left, the fishermen returned to Seruthur on Friday morning using a second engine. Tamizhazhagan was admitted to the Nagapattinam government hospital, sources said.
Another group of four fishermen from Seruthur ventured into sea, also on September 10, and were fishing about 15 nautical miles off Vedaranyam on Thursday night when four people on a boat from Sri Lanka confronted them.
The gang also held the fishermen at knifepoint and decamped with about 200 kg of fishing nets, two mobile phones, battery, two fuel cans, and GPS equipment, among others. The fishermen returned on Friday morning and two among them were treated as outpatients at Nagapattinam GH.
Similarly another group of four fishermen, also from Seruthur, were fishing in the sea about 15 nautical miles southeast of Vedaranyam they were assaulted and robbed by a gang. Three of the fishermen were treated at the Nagapattinam hospital. The Velankanni marine police have registered cases in all three incidents.
TNCC condemns attack on fishers
Chennai: Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president K Selvaperunthagai on Friday strongly condemned the attack on fishermen from Seruthur in Nagapattinam district allegedly by Sri Lankan pirates. Several fishermen sustained injuries in the assault, and their nets and other fishing gear were looted.
In a release, Selvaperunthagai said, “On the one hand, the Sri Lankan Navy arrests Tamil Nadu fishermen, and on the other, Sri Lankan pirates intrude into Indian waters, attack the fishermen and steal their belongings. This has made the livelihood of our fishermen increasingly perilous.”
Pointing out that fishermen risk their lives every day for survival, Selvaperunthagai urged the union government to take up the issue diplomatically with Sri Lanka and find a permanent solution. He also demanded intensified patrolling by the Indian Navy and Coast Guard to ensure the safety of Tamil Nadu fishermen.