In a disturbing turn of events on Sunday night, two separate groups of fishermen from Nagapattinam district were violently attacked while at sea, leaving eleven individuals injured. The assailants, believed to be from Sri Lanka, carried out these incidents in the waters east of Kodiyakarai.
According to sources from the Coastal Security Group (CSG), the first incident involved six fishermen from Nambiyar Nagar. They embarked on their fishing trip in a registered fibre boat around 2 p.m. While fishing east of Kodiyakarai at approximately 8 p.m., their vessel was approached and boarded by eight individuals on two separate boats, who are suspected to be from Sri Lanka.
These attackers brutally assaulted the Nagapattinam fishermen using iron rods, wooden logs, and knives, inflicting various injuries. The assailants then reportedly stole valuable equipment including a silver chain, an engine, a mobile phone, a GPS device, a light battery, and a walkie-talkie set. These details were provided by CSG sources, based on accounts from the injured victims.
The six fishermen injured in this attack were identified as S. Vignesh (28), S. Vimal (26), S. Sugumar (31), V. Thirumurugan (31), V. Murugan (38), and P. Arun (27). They managed to return to shore in the early hours of Monday and are currently receiving treatment at the Government Medical College Hospital in Nagapattinam.
Separately, five other fishermen from Nambiyar Nagar who had sailed in an unregistered fibre boat on Sunday afternoon also faced a similar ordeal. While fishing east of Kodiyakarai, they were confronted by another group of eight individuals, also suspected to be from Sri Lanka, who approached them in two boats. This second group likewise attacked the fishermen and made off with an engine, a GPS device, five mobile phones, and a substantial fishing net weighing approximately 500 kg.
The victims of this second attack were identified as M. Sasikumar (30), S. Udaysankar (28), S. Sivasankar (25), M. Kriba (29), and R. Kamlesh (19). One of them was transferred to Thanjavur for medical attention, while the other four are receiving care at the Government Medical College Hospital in Nagapattinam, according to reports.