Protesters outside the Fisheries Department office in Rameswaram on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: L. Balachandar
RAMESWARAM
The Rameswaram fishermen associations on Saturday jointly launched an indefinite strike demanding the immediate release of 30 fishermen lodged in Sri Lankan prisons.
Following the arrest of 30 fishermen from Rameswaram and 17 from Puducherry by the Sri Lankan Navy on October 8, the associations passed a resolution to observe an indefinite strike condemning the repeated arrests and the Indian government’s inaction in bringing about a permanent solution to the issue.
Representatives of fishermen associations and families of the arrested fishermen staged a demonstration outside the Fisheries Department office in Rameswaram.
They appealed to the State and Union governments to bring back the arrested fishermen from the neighbouring nation.
Vinnarasi, wife of an arrested fisherman, holding her child in her arms, said the couple was expecting its second child in the coming weeks and her husband had been taken away from her by the Sri Lankan Navy.
“My husband is the sole breadwinner in our family who can take care of us. I am worried how I am going to safely deliver my baby without him to support me,” she said. As fishing was the only trade they were familiar with, their very survival was now being threatened, she stated.
Emirit, a fishermen association leader, said, “The natives of Rameswaram whose primary job is fishing are in a constant fear to even step into the sea.” Unlike previous times, they were suffering from constant arrests and attacks from the Sri Lankan Navy, he stated. Demanding the Union government to hold talks with the Sri Lankan government, he said unless India takes a strong stand on the issue during negotiations, their plight would be a never-ending one.
Published – October 11, 2025 10:21 pm IST
