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TN fisherman injured after navy fires ‘warning shots’ to stop ‘suspicious boat’
Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin said he was deeply shocked and saddened to learn that the fisherman, Veeravel, “sustained serious injuries after being shot by the Indian Navy this morning”
CHENNAI: A 30-year-old Tamil Nadu fisherman on Friday sustained injuries after Indian Navy personnel fired warning shots to stop his boat from getting away in Palk Bay near the India-Sri Lanka International Maritime Boundary Line, a defence spokesperson in Chennai said.
The navy has ordered an investigation into the incident.
In a statement, the defence spokesperson said a navy ship on patrol in Palk Bay spotted “a suspicious boat” early on Friday.
“Despite repeated warnings, the boat did not stop. The ship, as per standard operating procedures, fired warning shots to stop the boat. One of the crew onboard the suspicious boat is reported to have sustained an injury,” the spokesperson said in the statement posted on Twitter.
The injured person was administered first aid by the ship and evacuated by an Indian Navy Chetak helicopter.
The spokesperson said the person was reported to be stable.
The Tamil Nadu government identified the injured fisherman as K Veeravel, 30, from Vanagiri village in Mayiladuthurai district. “I am deeply shocked and saddened to learn that Mr Veeravel has sustained serious injuries after being shot by the Indian Navy this morning,” chief minister MK Stalin said in a statement. He also released ₹20 lakh assistance from the chief minister’s relief fund to Veeravel’s family and ordered that he be extended “special medical treatment.”
Union minister of state for fisheries L Murugan, who was in Chennai, said he could comment only after the investigation into the incident is complete.
“We have asked for an investigative report to identify the person who shot,” Murugan said, adding that they will check if the injured fisherman is covered by the department’s group insurance scheme.
“We have been insisting that fishermen attach a GPS because sometimes we have instances of them crossing the border. We will know what happened in this specific instance only after completing the investigation.”
State government officials said the fisherman was first taken to the government hospital in Ramanathapuram district and later shifted to a government hospital in Madurai for treatment. Tamil Nadu fisheries minister Anitha Radhakrishnan met the fisherman at the hospital.
