Daijiworld Media Network - Chennai

Chennai, Jul 14: In a fresh flare-up of maritime tensions, seven Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu’s Rameswaram were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy early Sunday morning for allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL). Their mechanised trawler was also seized, authorities confirmed.

The arrested fishermen were aboard a vessel owned by V. Isaac Paul of Thangachimadam. Police said they were part of a fleet of 456 trawlers that had received fishing tokens from the Tamil Nadu Fisheries Department and ventured into the sea on Saturday.

The arrested individuals have been identified as:

• B. Ruther (40), P. Edison (48), and M. Jegadeesh (42) of Thangachimadam
• A. Shanmugam (56) and F. Dalvin Raj (42) of Rameswaram
• M. Sakthivel (43) of Keerathurai, Madurai
• Anbalagan, whose native place is being verified

The fishermen were reportedly intercepted after crossing the IMBL, and were taken to Kankesanthurai port along with their boat. They are currently being held at Jaffna prison, Sri Lankan officials confirmed.

In a separate incident on the same day, another Indian trawler sustained significant damage after a collision with a Sri Lankan Navy patrol boat near the disputed waters between Katchatheevu and Neduntheevu.

The damaged boat, owned by Maria Seeron, was reportedly approached by a Sri Lankan naval vessel for inspection. In the process, the navy patrol boat allegedly rammed into the trawler, causing structural damage.

Despite the impact, all seven fishermen on board — identified as Stalin, Muneeswaran, Viyakulam, Columbus, Nagesh, Stephen, and Sarathkumar — managed to safely return to the Rameswaram jetty, officials from the Fisheries Department confirmed.

These back-to-back incidents have once again brought attention to the long-standing maritime conflict between Indian fishermen and the Sri Lankan Navy, particularly in the heavily patrolled region around Katchatheevu, a hotspot for such confrontations.

Local authorities have expressed concern and are expected to escalate the matter to the Central government, seeking diplomatic intervention to ensure the safe release of the arrested fishermen and address the ongoing harassment in contested waters.