Fisherman hurt as Navy fires ‘warning shots’

Chennai, October 21

A fisherman from Tamil Nadu on Friday sustained a bullet injury when the Navy fired “warning shots” in mid-sea. Upset, Chief Minister MK Stalin sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention to prevent such incidents.

The Navy said its ship intercepted a suspicious boat on the Palk Bay. :”As the vessel did not stop despite repeated warnings, warning shots were fired as per the Standard Operating Procedure to halt it,” a Defence PRO tweeted. A crew member on board sustained an injury and was hospitalised.

The boat was noticed by the Navy ship while on patrol near the India-Sri Lanka International Maritime Boundary Line in the early hours of Friday. An inquiry has been ordered. “The injured person was administered first-aid and evacuated by a Chetak helicopter to INS Parandu at Ramnad and then shifted to Government Hospital, Ramanathapuram, for further medical management. His condition is reported to be stable,” a statement read.The Tamil Nadu Government identified the injured fisherman as K Veeravel of Vanagiri village in Mayiladuthurai district.

Stalin said he was shocked by the incident and that he had asked the state-run Madurai hospital, where he had been shifted, to provide the best treatment to the injured fisherman.