Chennai: Eleven fishermen from Rameswaram, who were detained by the Sri Lankan Coast Guard, arrived in Chennai on Friday night. Tamil Nadu fisheries department officials received them at the airport and arranged their journey back to Rameswaram.
The fishermen had been arrested on February 2, 19, and 23 while fishing near the Indian maritime border. Their boats were seized, and they were taken into custody by Sri Lankan authorities. Following legal proceedings, they were sentenced to jail in Sri Lanka.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin intervened in the matter by writing to Union External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, urging the central government to initiate diplomatic discussions with Sri Lanka for their immediate release. In response, the Indian embassy in Sri Lanka engaged in negotiations with Sri Lankan officials. Eventually, a Sri Lankan court ordered the release of all 11 fishermen, handing them over to the Indian embassy.
Since the fishermen did not possess passports, the embassy issued emergency certificates to facilitate their return. They were flown to Chennai, where officials ensured their safe transit to their hometown.
This development comes just days after another group of 13 fishermen from Tamil Nadu and Karaikal, who were similarly arrested by the Sri Lankan authorities, were also released and brought back home.