Fishermen block Pamban bridge seeking release of those arrested by Sri Lankan Navy

Hundreds of fishermen on Tuesday (November 12, 2024) blocked the Pamban Road Bridge in Rameswaram, pressing for the immediate release of all the fishermen arrested by Sri Lankan Navy.

Hundreds of fishermen on Tuesday (November 12, 2024) blocked the Pamban Road Bridge in Rameswaram, pressing for the immediate release of all the fishermen arrested by Sri Lankan Navy.

The protesters, including women and children, led by the Federation of Rameswaram All Mechanised Boats Fishermen Associations, broke the police cordon and entered the Pamban Road Bridge at around 9.45 a.m on Tuesday.

A huge posse of police personnel were posted ahead of the bridge to stop the protesters, who took out procession towards the bridge. The latter, however, managed to remove the barricades and proceed towards the bridge.

The police said that over 700 people from the fishing community staged a sit-in on the bridge, bringing traffic on the Rameswaram-Madurai highway to grinding halt.

The fishermen and their families have been demanding that the Union and Tamil Nadu governments get them the rights to fish in the traditional region in the Palk Strait, and to prevent their arrests by the Sri Lankan Navy.