MDMK leader goes on hunger strike protesting against fishermen killings

Nagapattinam (Tamil Nadu), Feb 6(ANI): Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) General Secretary, Vaiko, went on a hunger strike on Sunday to protest against the recent killings of local fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy.

The MDMK leader condemned the killings and also slammed the Central and state governments for not taking effective steps to stop the deaths.

D. Pandian, State Secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI), inaugurated the protest, which had a strong strength of MDMK activists.

Pandian said that his party was confident of throwing the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam during the upcoming elections in the state.

"We will not only face the approaching assembly elections with full confidence, but will also form a next government in the state and after that we will provide a safe and clean government which would protect the people at large and it will also take efforts to free Katchatheevu (an island ceded to Sri Lanka by India in 1974)," Pandian said.

A fisherman was killed on January 22 after the Sri Lankan Navy fired at him, after his trawler allegedly entered their territorial waters.

On January 12, another Indian fishing boat was shot at by the Sri Lankan Navy. One Tamil fisherman was killed and two others were critically injured in the incident.

New Delhi condemned the killings and asked Colombo to take up the matter, but Sri Lanka has refuted the allegations.imilar incidents were reported last year when fishermen complained that the Sri Lankan Navy was attacking them at sea when they accidentally sailed inside Sri Lankan territorial waters.

The charges have resulted in an uproar by almost all the political parties in Tamil Nadu. (ANI)