A Tamil Nadu fisherman’s body, which was washed ashore in Delft Island (Nedunthivu) in North Sri Lanka, has been identified as that of Gnanaprakasam (45) son of Siluvaimuthu (75) in Ramanathapuram district.

Siluvaimuthu identified the body of his son by the AIADMK’s ‘two leaves’ symbol tattooed on the leg, U Arulanandam, head of the Association for the Release of Innocent Fishermen, told Express over phone from Rameswaram on Saturday.

“Since the father was aged and ailing, he ruled out going to Sri Lanka to identify the body. But he looked at pictures of the body sent to us from Sri Lanka and said that it was that of his son who had the party symbol tattooed on his leg,” Arulanandam said.

Siluvaimuthu has requested the Lankan authorities to give the body a Christian burial in Sri Lanka itself.

Indian officials said that the body was taken to a mortuary in Jaffna. But burial would have to await instructions from the Tamil Nadu government, they added.

Three TN fishermen, who had gone fishing on August 25, had not returned and were reported lost on September 6. According to Arulanandam, Gananaprakasam was one of them. Ramanathapuram fishermen launched a search operation, and wanted to go to Delft Island when they came to know that a body had been washed ashore. But the Lankan navy intercepted them.

The search warrant from the Tamil Nadu Fisheries Department, which the fishermen presented, was disregarded, The Indian Express reported.