Paradip: Two boats with 13 fishermen on board reportedly went missing at the sea off Paradip coast in Jagatsinghpur district. The Coast Guard headquarters officials and Marine Police received the information on Sunday after the owners of the two boats failed to establish contact with them. The Coast Guard immediately launched a search and rescue operation in the area.
Srikanth Parida, president of Odisha Marine Fishery Producers Association, said, "On January 8, two fishing boats Kinara and Debilaxmi ventured out for fishing and went missing later from 163 km off the coast towards Digha. As the mobile phones of the fishermen and the drivers are switched off, the officials are unable to establish communication with them.
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Additional Fisheries Officer at Kujang has urged the Coast Guard to assist in the search of the two missing boats and rescue the fishermen. The boat went untraceable after going 80 miles toward Bangladesh, raising suspicion of the involvement of Bangladeshi forces. The family members of the fishermen suspect they might have entered the territory of Bangladesh and might have been detained there.
Despite India–Sri Lanka maritime boundary agreements, Indian fishermen are being detained by Sri Lankan forces time and again. According to Ramadoss, founder of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), an Indian political party, 55 Indian fishermen detained by Sri Lankan authorities in December 2021, are yet to be released. On the other hand, mid-sea attacks on the Indian fishermen are continuing, he pointed out.
