Rameswaram: Around 4,000 fishermen returned from the sea without catch after being allegedly driven away by Sri Lankan Navy personnel and also attacked with stones and bottles, damaging their gear and over 50 boats off Dhanushkodi near here, a fishermen association leader claimed on Sunday. They were fishing in 528 mechanized boats between Dhanushkodi and Katchatheevu when the Lankan Naval personnel, who came on board eight patrol boats started chasing them away on Saturday, throwing bottles and stones as missiles, local fishermen association president P Sesuraja told reporters here.
While around 20 boats returned on Saturday evening itself, others also came without fish catch later in the night and early Sunday, he said, quoting the affected fishermen. Fishing nets of around 50 boats were snapped and dumped into the sea and as many crafts suffered damage in the hurling of stones and bottles, he alleged. This is the third such mid-sea incident in the last fortnight.
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