Tamil Nadu Wants Katchatheevu Back: What You Need To Know About The Lost Island

The DMK government on Wednesday unanimously passed a resolution urging the Centre to take steps to reclaim Katchatheevu from Sri Lanka.

Tamil Nadu Passes Resolution To Reclaim Katchatheevu

The resolution underscores the struggles faced by Indian fishermen, particularly those from Tamil Nadu, due to frequent arrests and alleged attacks by the Sri Lankan Navy.

In the Tamil Nadu Assembly, Stalin stated that reclaiming the lost land is the only solution to safeguard the Tamil Nadu fishermen.

In a social media post on X, Stalin appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to demand the immediate release of detained Tamil Nadu fishermen during his upcoming visit to Sri Lanka.

"The tears and anguish of our fishermen cannot be put into words. The sea, their source of livelihood, has turned into a place of fear due to repeated attacks by the Sri Lankan Navy. Today, the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly has passed a resolution calling for the retrieval of Katchatheevu to protect our historical rights, livelihoods, and access to traditional fishing grounds. We urge you to firmly demand the release of our fishermen and their boats as a goodwill gesture," Stalin stated.

What You Need To Know About Katchatheevu?

Katchatheevu had become a contentious political issue during the last Lok Sabha elections. The BJP, under its state unit chief Annamalai's leadership, had targeted the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Congress over the island's status, following a report by The Times of India that claimed the Indira Gandhi-led government relinquished control of Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka in 1974.

Documents obtained via an RTI application by Tamil Nadu BJP chief K. Annamalai revealed Sri Lanka's persistent pursuit of this 1.9-square-kilometer landmass, located about 20 kilometers from the Indian coast. Sri Lanka had asserted its claim to Katchatheevu soon after gaining independence, challenging India's historical naval exercises on the island. Despite initial resistance, India eventually ceded the island to Sri Lanka in 1974.

The legal complexity of the matter was then acknowledged by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). However, the then-Attorney General M.C. Setalvad had argued in favor of India's sovereignty, citing historical rights vested in the Raja of Ramnad by the East India Company.

Documents also indicated that the MEA's joint secretary (law and treaties), K. Krishna Rao, believed India had a strong legal case to secure fishing rights. In 1960, he wrote, "The matter is by no means clear or free from difficulty but on the assessment of the whole evidence it appears to me that the balance lies in concluding that the sovereignty of India was and is in India,"

Even Commonwealth Secretary Y.D. Gundevia had expressed concerns about giving up the land. In a 1968 communication with the consultative committee, he warned against taking the risk of ceding Katchatheevu, despite viewing the uninhabited island as insignificant.

Key Facts About Katchatheevu

• Katchatheevu is a 163-acre uninhabited island situated between Neduntheevu, Sri Lanka, and Rameswaram, India.
• The British-controlled Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) administered the island from 1921, though India never directly exercised authority over it.
• The Indo-Sri Lankan Maritime Agreement of 1974, signed by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, formalized India's recognition of Sri Lankan sovereignty over Katchatheevu, aiming to settle maritime boundaries in the Palk Strait.
• The island historically belonged to the Ramnad Kingdom and later fell under the Madras Presidency before being transferred to Sri Lanka in 1921.
• In exchange for ceding Katchatheevu, India secured exclusive territorial rights over the Wedge Bank fishing area off the coast of Kanyakumari.