Madurai: In a bizarre incident, a fisherman from Tamil Naud sustained injuries when the Indian Navy opened fire at Tamil Nadu fishermen on Friday. Terming the incident the incident as unfortunate, Tamil Nadu Minister for Fisheries Anita Radhakrishnan met the fisherman, who was undergoing treatment, at Madurai Government Hospital.
Later, speaking to the media, he said that the CT scan revealed that four bullets pierced into the body of fisherman Veeravel. He said that the operation was currently underway. The minister said that the bullets hit the stomach and thigh of the fisherman as per the doctors' report.
According to the information given by the minister, 10 fishermen had gone by boat from the Karaikal area. Three of them are from Karaikal, one from Nagapattinam and six are from Mayiladuthurai. While they were fishing in the southern Gulf of Mannar, soldiers from the Indian Navy opened fire at them.
The minister said, "It is a very sad incident that our fishermen were shot by our Navy. Tamil Nadu fishermen have been affected by the Sri Lankan Navy, which has now been prevented. But this incident by the Indian Navy is painful." The Minister said that a probe has been ordered into the incident to ascertain the reasons that led to the firing.
According to the sources, the incident occurred when the patrolling team from a station in Uchipuli opened fire at a fishing boat with 10 persons on board, after it did not heed to their signal to halt. Veeravel received bullet injuries on his thigh and stomach. In a statement, the Navy said, "The Indian Navy maintains a continuous vigil over the crucial waters of Palk Bay, which separates India and Sri Lanka.
"During the early hours of Friday, a suspicious boat was observed by an Indian Navy ship on patrol in Palk Bay near the India-Sri Lanka International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL). Despite repeated warnings, the boat did not stop. The ship, as per standard operating procedures, fired warning shots to stop the boat.
