Choppy waters | Do we need to sail through rough sea?: Indian fisherfolks

The recent incident where Indian Navy personnel shot at an Indian fishing boat injuring one fisherman has sent shock waves throughout the fishing community.  They are convinced it is a case of the fence preying on the crop and say it makes them feel vulnerable.

A sense of disquiet is palpable in the coastal hamlets after the recent shooting of a fisherman by the Indian Navy at Palk Bay. At Vanagiri in Mayiladuthurai district, the native fishing village of K. Veeravel (30), who was injured in the firing, initial disbelief has given way to anger and helplessness.

The foremost question among the villagers was: How could the Indian Navy, who they looked upon as saviours, exhibit such “high-handedness” — the same thing they accuse their Sri Lankan counterparts of? Is it now turning a double whammy?

Kin of injured Mayiladuthurai fisherman seek answers from Indian Navy for opening fire

“Why did our own men have to shoot our fishermen? I want the government to fetch me answers and end this haunting mystery,” said Veeravel’s tearful wife, Madhumathi, at the Madurai Government Hospital, where her husband was undergoing treatment.

 Veeravel, who was shot in the abdomen and thigh, had gone on the trip on a mechanised vessel to earn a little more money to celebrate Deepavali with his family.

Hours after the firing in the early hours of October 21, a statement from the Press Information Bureau (Defence Wing), said that a naval ship, which was patrolling in Palk Bay near the India Sri Lanka International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), had observed a “suspicious boat” and fired warning shots “as per standard operating procedure” as the boat failed to pay heed to repeated warnings to stop. One of the crew on board the fishing vessel was injured and was administered first aid by the ship crew before being evacuated by an Indian Navy Chetak helicopter to INS Parundu at Ramanathapuram. “An inquiry has been ordered to investigate the incident,” it said.

 But fishermen question the Navy’s claim on firing mere warning shots. “The boat was bearing national flags and yet it was attacked,” they contend. The fishers’ mechanised vessel, now stationed close to the Naval Detachment at the Nagapattinam Harbour, bears tell-tale signs of bullet marks. “There were as many as 47 bullet holes on the sides of the boat,” according to sources.