India lodged a “strong protest” over Indian fishermen suffering “serious injuries” in a firing incident by the Sri Lankan Navy, when its patrol team sought to apprehend the fishermen on charges of illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters in the early hours of Tuesday 28 Jan ’25.

The Ministry of External Affairs said it summoned the Acting High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in New Delhi and lodged a strong protest over the incident. “Our High Commission in Colombo has also raised the matter with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Sri Lankan government,” the MEA said in a statement.

According to the MEA, two out of the 13 fishermen who were on board the fishing vessel suffered “serious injuries” and are currently receiving treatment at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital. Three other fishermen sustained minor injuries as the media reports.

Officials from the Indian Consulate in Jaffna are extending all possible assistance to the fishermen, the MEA said, emphasising India’s position on treating issues pertaining to fishermen in a “humane and humanitarian manner”.

“The use of force is not acceptable under any circumstances whatsoever. Existing understandings between the two Governments in this regard must be strictly observed,” the MEA further said. The Sri Lankan Navy, on the other hand, accused the Indian fishermen of attempting to “assault” naval personnel and “snatch a firearm from a naval officer”, “endangering the lives of the naval personnel.” “In the process, an accidental fire has taken place, causing slight injuries to two Indian fishermen,” it said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

Presenting its account of the late night-early morning development, the Navy said its Northern Naval Command observed “a cluster of Indian fishing boats poaching in Sri Lankan waters” off Valvettithurai, Jaffna, in the dark hours of January 27, 2025.It seized an Indian fishing boat that “remained in Sri Lankan waters…collecting the fishing harvest”, the statement said, adding that the fishermen “acted aggressively, manoeuvering their fishing boat in a hostile manner and behaving confrontationally”.

The incident marks the latest escalation in a long-persisting conflict in the Palk Strait that affects fishermen on both sides. The Indo-Lanka fisheries conflict, involving fishermen from Tamil Nadu and northern Sri Lanka has persisted for well over a decade, with Indian fishermen periodically facing arrest for fishing illegally in Sri Lanka’s territorial waters.

In 2024, over 540 Indian fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy on charges of illegal fishing. In January 2025 so far, over 60 fishermen from India have been arrested, according to official sources.

Further, Sri Lankan fishermen — who are still recovering from a brutal, three decade-long war — have been relentlessly demanding that their Indian counterparts stop using the destructive bottom trawling method, which severely impacts the marine ecosystem, and is banned in Sri Lanka.The enduring problem was also discussed during President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s visit to New Delhi in December 2024.

The joint statement issued following his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the leaders “underscored the need to take measures to avoid any aggressive behaviour or violence,” while acknowledging the issues faced by fishermen on both sides. The leaders “expressed confidence” that through dialogue and constructive engagements “a long lasting and mutually acceptable solution could be achieved”