The Sri Lankan Navy allegedly killed a second Tamil Nadu fisherman on Saturday night, even as finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, visiting Chennai on Sunday, assured chief minister M. Karunanidhi that the matter would be taken up with the Sri Lankan government through the external affairs ministry.
Sri Lankan naval personnel intercepted a fishing boat carrying three people around 11 pm on Saturday, about 30 km off the Vedaranyam coast, for having allegedly strayed into Sri Lankan territorial waters, according to interviews given by the two survivors to local television channels.
All three, hailing from Pushpavanam village in Nagapattinam district, were directed to jump into the water and swim back to shore. When one of them, N Jayakumar, who had a disabled arm, hesitated, the Lankans tied a rope around his neck and flung him into the sea. On January 12, a Tamil Nadu fisherman had been killed when the Lankan Navy opened fire on his boat. “Even if the fishermen did stray into their territory, there is a procedure to resolve such issues,” said Mukherjee. “We will take up the issue with Sri Lanka.”