RAMESWARAM: The Sri Lankan Navy allegedly opened fire in the air to chase away a cluster of Indian fishing trawlers involved in fishing activities on high seas close to the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) off the controversial Katchatheevu Islet late on Wednesday night.

The affected fishermen, who returned to the Rameswaram fishing jetty on Thursday, told media that the Sri Lankan Naval Fast Attack Crafts (FAC) encircled several trawlers and issued a stern warning to leave the zone immediately or face dire consequences.

“Even before we could wind up fishing activities, they fired several rounds of warning shots to intimidate us,” they said. The Lankan naval FACs also posed aggressive manoeuvres to frighten the fishermen.

Fearing repercussions, many fishermen fled the zone, abandoning their fishing nets cast on the sea. Several trawlers have incurred losses to the tune of Rs 50,000 each, they claimed.

Around 3,000 fishermen had ventured into the sea from Rameswaram on Wednesday morning for routine fishing activities.

The Sri Lankan Navy has held 396 Indian fishermen and impounded 53 Indian fishing boats on the alleged charges of poaching in its territorial waters so far this year and initiated legal action against them.

The Ministry of External Affairs called in Sri Lanka’s Acting High Commissioner at New Delhi on August 1 and registered a strong protest after Indian fishing trawler was hit by a Lankan Naval Patrol Vessel resulting in the death of two fisherman hailing from Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu on July 31.