The Sri Lanka Navy has announced that 10 Indian fishermen, arrested for poaching in Sri Lankan waters off Kankesanthurai on Tuesday (25), will face charges related to the death of a naval officer and damage to naval property.
During a special operation conducted by the Navy in the early hours of June 25, an Indian fishing trawler was seized for poaching. The aggressive resistance by the trawler resulted in critical injuries to a senior sailor from the Navy Special Boat Squadron, who later succumbed to his injuries at Jaffna Teaching Hospital.
The Indian trawler and the fishermen were brought to Kankesanthurai Harbour and handed over to the Kankesanthurai Police for legal proceedings. The police have filed charges in the Mallakam Court in Jaffna against the fishermen for illegal fishing, causing the death of the sailor, and damaging naval property.
A post-mortem examination conducted by the Jaffna Magistrate confirmed that the sailor’s death was accidental, due to spinal cord damage. The deceased sailor’s body was handed over to his family for last rites, with a funeral ceremony held on June 27 in Ibbagamuwa with full naval honors. The Navy has posthumously promoted the sailor to Fleet Chief Petty Officer and assured that his family will receive due compensation and allowances.
The Mallakam Court Magistrate conducted an on-site inspection at Kankesanthurai Port, focusing on the detained Indian vessel and the Navy’s damaged Fast Attack Craft. The initial hearing of the case is scheduled for July 22 at the Mallakam Magistrate’s Court in Jaffna.
