Over 15 fishermen from Tamil Nadu were injured after Sri Lankan Navy personnel allegedly assaulted them early today, police said.
The fishermen were intercepted by the Lankan Navy, who opened fire in air and attacked them with sticks, forcing them to flee from the fishing site in Indian waters near Katchatheevu, they said.
The Naval personnel also snapped more than 20 fishing nets of the fishermen, police said. The latest incident comes a day after Chief Minister Jayalalithaa asked the Centre to view the attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen by Sri Lankan Navy as an act of aggression against India. Ahead of Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai's three-day visit to Colombo yesterday, Jayalalithaa conveyed her strong sentiments to him over increasing attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen by Sri Lankan Navy. Jayalalithaa had told Mathai that assaults on Indian citizens should be viewed as "an act of provocation and aggression against India."