Opposition MPs from Tamil Nadu protest on the Parliament premises in New Delhi on Friday demanding the release of arrested fishermen.
| Photo Credit: RAHUL SINGH

The DMK led a protest staged by members of the Opposition in the Parliament complex on Friday over the recurrent arrests of Tamil fisherfolk by the Sri Lankan Navy. DMK MP Kanimozhi urged the government to find a permanent solution.

The Opposition members, belonging to the DMK, the Congress and the Left parties, held the protest before the House met and subsequently raised the issue in the Lok Sabha.

Other leaders who were part of the protest include Derek O’Brien of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Sudama Prasad of the CPI(ML) Liberation.

They put up placards with slogans that read: “Justice For Tamil Fisherman”, “Bring Back Our Fishermen”, “No More Arrests” and “Tamil Nadu Fishermen Are Indians”.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore demanded the Centre’s intervention in the matter and its engagement with the Sri Lankan government. “The government of India must intervene. It should talk to the Sri Lankan authorities and stop the seizure of boats and other materials from the fishermen,” he said.

Ms. Kanimozhi raised the issue during the Zero hour in Parliament. She said fishermen from the State were being harassed and arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy regularly and that more than 97 fishermen were lodged in Sri Lankan prisons.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar several times on the matter, she added.

“The Sri Lankan Navy has been arresting and harassing Tamil Nadu’s fishermen… The Union government has not done anything. We demand that the fishermen be released, the boats returned and a permanent solution be found,” the Lok Sabha member said.

She alleged that the fishermen were shot at and tortured, and over 210 fishing boats had been seized by Sri Lanka, impacting their livelihood.