Elders concerned at killing of Indian fishermen by Lankan Navy

New Delhi, Mar 12 (UNI) Cutting across party lines, members of the Rajya Sabha today strongly condemned the killing of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy in Indian territorial waters and demanded that the government intervene and ask Colombo to return the Katcha Tivu island to India.

The issue was raised by Mr Tirunavukkarasar (BJP) before the Question Hour was taken up.

As soon as the House assembled for the Question Hour, Mr Tirunavukkarasar said the Lankan Navy had killed fishermen from Rameshwaram who were fishing in the high seas in Indian territorial waters. He said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi had also written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, requesting his intervention in the issue.

However, there was no end to such killings which were later blamed on the LTTE, he added.

He said the Lankan government should be warned and India should take back the Katcha Tivu island which it had gifted to Sri Lanka.

He was joined by K Malaisamy (AIADMK) who demanded that External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Defence Minister A K Antony make a statement in the House on the issue.

Mr V Narayanasamy (Congress), while pointing out that the matter was very serious as it had become a regular phenomenon, said the issue had been taken up by the Indian Mission in Colombo with the Lankan authorities.

The Lankan government has, however, rejected the charges and instead, proposed that India work out a joint mechanism for monitoring fishermen on either side of the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).

On March 10, an Indian fisherman was killed in the general area near the Kacha Tivu Island.

''The Sri Lankan Navy would not infringe into Indian territorial waters by crossing the IMBL...It is widely known that the LTTE has been engaging in the practice of attacking Indian fishing trawlers, with the sole aim of discrediting the Sri Lanka Navy,'' the Lankan government had said.

UNI