15 fishermen from the Rameshwaram district, who were released from Sri Lankan prison, were welcomed by BJP on their arrival in Tamil Nadu’s Chennai on Thursday.
Sri Lankan Navy Police arrested the fishermen on July 8, claiming that they had crossed the border and were fishing in the area under the jurisdiction of Sri Lanka. Following the arrest fishermen were produced before the court and were later remanded to judicial custody.
Their case came up for hearing in the Oorkavalthurai court on July 21, the judge ordered the release of all 15 fishermen.
Their release came days after Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s official tour to India. During his visit, Sri Lankan President had a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Earlier, four Indian fishing boats were impounded and 22 fishermen apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy on June 22, for allegedly crossing into Sri Lankan waters.
Palk Strait, which is a narrow strip of water separating Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka, is a rich fishing ground for fishermen from both countries and because of that fishermen keep on going to the area and end up entering Sri Lankan water.