Tue Jan 28 11:21:04 UTC 2025: ## India Protests Sri Lankan Navy Firing on Indian Fishermen
**New Delhi, India** – India has lodged a strong protest with Sri Lanka after its navy fired on a group of Indian fishermen near Delft Island on Tuesday, injuring two seriously. The incident, which involved a fishing vessel with 13 fishermen aboard, sparked outrage in India.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that two fishermen sustained serious injuries requiring treatment at Jaffna Teaching Hospital, while three others received minor injuries. Consulate officials in Jaffna have visited the injured and are providing assistance.
The Sri Lankan Acting High Commissioner in New Delhi was summoned to receive India’s formal protest. The Indian High Commission in Colombo also raised the matter with the Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs. India emphasized the need for humane treatment of fishermen and stated that the use of force is unacceptable.
Sri Lanka offered a different account of the events, claiming the Indian fishing boat was poaching in Sri Lankan waters and that its crew acted aggressively, attempting to assault naval personnel and seize a firearm. They maintain the firing was accidental and resulted in only slight injuries.
This incident follows the arrest of 34 Indian fishermen and the seizure of three trawlers for illegal fishing on Sunday, highlighting the ongoing tensions between the two countries over fishing rights in the Palk Strait. The differing accounts of Tuesday’s incident are likely to further complicate already strained relations.
First Piper 