Opposition MPs protest against arrest of Indian fisherfolk by Sri Lanka

New Delhi: Opposition MPs on Friday held a protest in the Parliament complex against Sri Lanka continuing to arrest Indian fisherfolk, and demanded that the government find a permanent solution to the issue.

The protest was led by DMK, Congress and Left party MPs from Tamil Nadu and joined by parliamentarians from several other opposition parties, including Derek O'Brien of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Sudama Prasad of CPI(ML) Liberation.

The protesting MPs held up placards with slogans that read "Justice For Tamil Fisherman", "Bring Back Our Fishermen", "No More Arrests", and "Tamil Nadu Fishermen Are Indians".

DMK MP Tiruchi Siva said the matter of Tamil fisherfolk's arrest was a national issue as they were Indians being mistreated by Sri Lanka.

"Many other parties also took part in the protest. It is an issue which should not be restricted to the state. They are Tamil fishermen, they are Indians," Siva told PTI.

"Fishermen are being tortured, harassed and killed for years and the government does not take any concrete steps to resolve the issue. Earlier, they (Sri Lankan authorities) used to assault them and take away their catch. Recently, they have started using weapons to shoot the poor fishermen," the Rajya Sabha member said.

He claimed the fisherfolk were scared of venturing out to sea, disrupting their livelihood.

Siva also said there was a proposal to include these fisherfolk in the Scheduled Tribe category.

DMK MP Kanimozhi said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar several times on the matter, urging them to find a permanent solution.

"The Sri Lankan Navy has been arresting and harassing Tamil Nadu's fishermen. Nearly 97 fishermen from Tamil Nadu have been arrested. Our Chief Minister MK Stalin has written to the prime minister, the external affairs minister," she said.

"They (Sri Lankan authorities) have taken away nearly 200 boats… The fishermen's livelihood is being affected. The boats have been taken away and nationalised by the Sri Lankan government. The Union government has not done anything. Our demand is that the fishermen have to be released, the boats returned, and a permanent solution found," the Lok Sabha member said.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore also demanded the Centre intervene in the matter and engage with the Sri Lankan government.

"We are protesting against the continuing arrests of Tamil fishermen by Sri Lanka..." the Lok Sabha member said.

"Earlier, they (Sri Lankan authorities) would arrest the fishermen but release the boats. Now, they no longer release the boats and the fishermen are incurring huge losses," Tagore said.

"The government of India must intervene, it should talk to the Sri Lankan authorities and stop the seizure of boats and other material from the fishermen," he said.

The Tamil fisherfolk issue has been a bone of contention between India and Sri Lanka for several years.

The island nation's navy has repeatedly been accused of firing at Indian fisherfolk who allegedly entered its territorial waters in the Palk Strait and seizing their boats.

Earlier this month, the Sri Lankan authorities arrested 10 Indian fisherfolk and seized their boat for allegedly venturing into its territorial waters.

In 2024, the Sri Lankan Navy arrested more than 550 Indian fisherfolk for alleged illegal fishing.