5 Indian fishermen awarded death sentence in Sri Lanka; Protests in Rameshwaram

Colombo, Oct 30:

on Thursday, Oct 30, gave death penaly to five Indian

who were arrested for allegedly smuggling drugs in the country.

MEA's Syed Akbaruddin said that they will take up the matter diligently and that the Indian high commission is pursuing the issue about the capital punishment with Sri Lanka.

The fishermen can appeal against the verdict by 14th November, 2014.

India has been tracking the case since 2011 when the fishermen were arrested, said Akbaruddin. The Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka has been assisting the fishermen with legal aid. "We feel the fishermen are not guilty. We will follow the legal process and will do our best to get them back to India," he said.

The arrest of Indian fishermen who stray into Lankan waters has long been an issue in Tamil Nadu.

Protest has broken out in Rameshwaram after the death penalty decision was announced.

The fishermen were arrested in 2011.

OneIndia News