Indian fishermen off the coast of Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu. (File photo for representation.)
New Delhi: A fresh escalation of tensions between India and Sri Lanka has erupted following the death of an Indian fisherman in a collision of his fishing boat with a Sri Lanka Navy vessel. The incident occurred early Thursday morning approximately five nautical miles (9.26 kilometres) north of Katchatheevu Island, which India ceded to Sri Lanka in exchange for broader fishing access in the Palk Strait 50 years ago.
There were four fishermen on the Indian boat, out of which one died in the collision. Out of the remaining three, two were rescued and brought ashore to Kankesanthurai in Sri Lanka, while one is still missing. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (foreign ministry) said a search operation has been launched for the missing fisherman.
The foreign ministry also expressed India’s shock and anguish at the loss of life. In a strong diplomatic response, New Delhi summoned the acting Sri Lankan high commissioner, Priyanga Wickramasinghe, to lodge a formal protest. The ministry conveyed India’s deep concern over the incident and demanded a thorough investigation into the circumstances leading to the tragic loss of life. India has also called for restraint and urged Sri Lanka to take steps to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
Later in the day, the Indian high commissioner in Colombo, Santosh Jha, also raised the issue with the Sri Lankan government.
In a news release, the foreign ministry also said: “Indian consulate officials in Jaffna have been instructed to immediately rush to Kankesanthurai and extend all possible assistance to the fishermen and their families.”
This is the second such incident in recent times. On June 25, a senior sailor from the Sri Lanka Navy Special Boat Squadron sustained critical injuries, and later died, due to – what Colombo said – “aggressive manoeuvres” of the Indian trawler near Point Pedro in the country’s north.
At that time, Sri Lanka lodged a strong protest with India and conveyed to India its opposition to alleged IUU (illegal, unreported, and unregulated) fishing, particularly bottom-scraping trawling and indiscriminate poaching, in Lankan territorial waters.
The long-standing dispute over fishing rights in the Palk Strait has been a persistent source of friction between the two nations. While both countries have expressed a desire to maintain cordial relations, such incidents continue to keep happening, flaring up tensions and hindering bilateral cooperation.
