Stalin to meet Bridjo’s family on March 11

DMK working president and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly M K Stalin, who reached Rameswaram via Madurai on Friday night, is expected to meet the family of Bridjo and the protesting fishermen on Saturday morning. Meanwhile, on Friday, a host of political leaders rushed to Thangachimadam near Rameswaram, on Friday, and consoled the family of the fisherman who was shot dead by Sri Lankan Navy recently. 

The leaders who visited the protesters included CPI state unit secretary, Mutharasan, Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi founder, Velmurugan, CPM former MLA, Bala Barathi and Naam Tamilar Katchi leader Seeman. All the leaders insisted that the central government to arrest the Sri Lankan Navy personnel who had shot the fishermen, besides demanding a compensation of Rs 1 crore to the family of Bridjo. 

Seeman claimed that though India was the largest country in South Asia it could not safeguard a fisherman from Sri Lanka, one of the smallest countries in the region. It is a great shame for the sub-continent, which claims itself to be emerging a superpower, he added.

Amidst these developments, the protesting fishermen stayed determined in continuing their protest till their demands were met. They demanded that representatives from the Ministry of External Affairs should come to the protest venue and promise that such incidents would not happen in future. Until then, the protests would continue, the residents said.

In a bid to ease the tension between the two nations, the Lankan government released 77 Tamil Nadu fishermen who were arrested earlier and lodged in the jails in the island nation. According to sources, 54 from Jaffna and 23 from Vavuniya were freed and all of them were handed over to the Indian Embassy officials on Friday.