The Sri Lankan Navy on Saturday repatriated 37 Indian fishermen after a Mannar court ordered their release on July 11.
Sources said the SL navy handed over the fishermen to the Indian Coast Guard at the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), from where they were brought to the ICG station at Mandapam on an Indian vessel. The ICG and intelligence sleuths conducted inquiries with the repatriated men, before handing them over to their families.
“The fishermen were advised not to enter Lankan waters again. The repatriated men claimed that they were beaten up mid-sea and denied food in the Lankan prison,” sources said.
The 37 repatriated fishermen belonged to two batches that were detained by the SL navy on June 29 and July 6. The first batch comprised fishermen from Rameswaram who were detained for allegedly trespassing into Lankan waters. The second batch detained on July 6 comprised 20 fishermen from Mandapam and Rameswaram. Both the batches were lodged in Anurathapuram prison.
All the 37 detainees on July 11 were produced before a Mannar court, which ordered their release. - ENS
