22 January 2021 10:16 am
India conveyed its “strong protest” to Sri Lanka on Thursday over the death of four Tamil Nadu fishermen in the Palk Strait after their fishing boat reportedly collided with a Sri Lankan Navy patrol boat.
“Our strong protest was conveyed by our High Commissioner to the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister today. A strong démarche was also made to the Sri Lankan Acting High Commissioner in New Delhi,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in New Delhi.
Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “I have written to the Prime Minister insisting that an appropriate inquiry be initiated into the incident through the High Commission of India,” he said. He sanctioned ₹10 lakh each in solatium to the bereaved families. One member of each family would be given a government or government-related job.
DMK president M.K. Stalin demanded that Mr. Modi condemn the Sri Lankan government for the incident and sought a compensation of ₹5 crore for each of the families. Mr. Stalin alleged that while India’s External Affairs Minister recently said he had raised the issue of freeing Indian fishermen held in Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan government was not respecting India or its government. (The Hindu)