A Tamil Nadu fisherman has been injured following an attack by the Sri Lankan navy yesterday. The attack took place near Kodiyakarai when the navy opened fire at an unarmed group of fishermen.
Kalaichelvan, a native of Nagapattinam, entered the sea on a mechanised boat along with ten other fishermen on July 28. They were fishing around five nautical miles away from the shores of Kodiyakarai when the patrolling Sri Lankan navy spotted them.
The fishermen said that the navy began firing at them on the grounds that they had illegally crossed the maritime border between India and Sri Lanka.
Kalaichelvan suffered a grave injury on his head as a result of the firing. The fishermen then immediately returned to the Nagapattinam port along with their mechanised boat.
Kalaichelvan has been admitted into the Nagapattinam government medical college hospital where he is currently receiving treatment.
A case has been filed regarding the incident with Nagapattinam police and the District Fisheries Welfare Department. The attack has caused fear amongst the fisherfolk in Nagapattinam making many of them in the district anxious about entering the sea.
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