In what is a shocking story from Tamil Nadu, twenty-two fishermen from the Nagercoil area of Tamil Nadu allege Sri Lankan Navy assaulted and humiliated them. The fishermen who were fishing in the Kanniyaakumari seas were reported to have been brutally assaulted and cast naked in high seas by Sri Lanka Navy soldiers.
The incident occurred on Friday night. The soldiers beat the fishermen with ice blocks and threatened to open fire on them after they confiscated their clothes, fishing nets and outboard motors.
The ordeal of the fishermen ended when they were thrown into the sea. However, they managed to swim to safety.
After swimming in the rough seas for several hours, the fishermen were spotted by local fishermen off the Tamil Nadu coast and were rushed to the hospital on the mainland.
The Secretary of the Fishermen’s Association said it was an ordeal that the fishermen have yet to recover from.
An associate said, "22 of us were made to sit and stripped naked. The Lankan Navy soldiers threatened to beat us with sticks if we did not remove our clothes. They also threatened us with guns."
According to a fisherman, "We went into the waters at 11 pm. 2 Lankan Navy boats surrounded our boats. They got onto our boats, stripped us and threw our clothes and all other equipments into the water."
Meanwhile, the government of Tamil Nadu has said the matter would be taken up with the Central government to ensure that this does not happen again.
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