Opposition MPs held a protest at Parliament premises, demanding that the Centre bring back Indian fishermen caught by Sri Lankan forces. They said they want the Centre to speak to the Sri Lankan Government and find a permanent solution to the issue.

The protest was led by DMK, Congress and Left party lawmakers from Tamil Nadu and joined by parliamentarians from several other opposition parties, including Derek O’Brien of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Sudama Prasad of CPI(ML) Liberation.

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The protesting MPs held placards with slogans that said “Justice For Tamil Fisherman”, “Bring Back Our Fishermen”, “No More Arrests”, and “Tamil Nadu Fishermen Are Indians”.

Speaking to reporters, DMK MP Kanimozhi said the Sri Lankan Navy has been arresting and harassing Tamil Nadu fishermen every now and then.

”Now, nearly 97 Tamil Nadu fishermen have been arrested. Our CM MK Stalin has written to the Minister and the PM. Every time he is here, he insists to the PM to find a solution for this problem. They have taken away nearly 210 boats of our fishermen. It is their livelihood that is getting affected. What can the fishermen do without their boats?… ,” she said.

This is becoming a big issue in Tamil Nadu, especially for the fishermen because their entire livelihood, family and everything is affected, she pointed out.

She further said, ”The Union Government which has promised to have deliberations between the fishermen’s groups and also have committees formed to resolve this issue permanently, has not done anything about it so far.”

The DMK leader said that they have demanded that the arrested fishermen be released.

”Our demand is that the fishermen who have been arrested have to be released. They have to put pressure to release them. Justice has to be done. Boats which have been captured, we want them to be released. Our CM insists on a permanent solution to this problem. We want the Union Government to speak to the Sri Lankan Government and find a permanent solution to this.”

DMK MP Tiruchi Siva said the matter of Tamil fisherfolk’s arrest was a national issue as they were Indians, being mistreated by Sri Lanka.

Kanimoshi also raised the issue during Zero Hour in Parliament today.

There have been a series of confrontations between Indian fishermen and Sri Lankan authorities. Just last week, six Indian fishermen, detained in Sri Lanka, were released and returned to Chennai. Their return was facilitated by Fisheries Department officials, marking yet another chapter in the ongoing tensions over fishing rights in the Palk Strait.

The issue has been further blown up by a recent incident in the Jaffna Sea, where two Indian fishermen from Karaikal sustained injuries after the Sri Lankan Navy allegedly opened fire, which drew strong objection from the Indian side.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has repeatedly urged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and the Centre to take immediate diplomatic measures to secure the release of detained fishermen and their boats.