136 Indian fishermen held in SL in 2 days

Chennai : Close to 140 Indian fishermen have been arrested by Sri Lankan police for allegedly entering Lankan water unauthorized till Thursday, leading to sharp reactions in Indian state of Tamil Nadu, from where most of the fishermen hailed.

Twenty-four Indian fishermen were arrested on Wednesday, after 112 were detained on Tuesday for allegedly straying into Lankan waters.

In the latest incident, Sri Lankan fishermen apprehended their Indian counterparts along with the boats and handed them to Sri Lankan police.

Sri Lankan authorities have alleged that the Indian fishermen were involved in poaching.

In Tamil Nadu, the arrests evoked sharp reactions, reports said.

Over 5,000 ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) workers, including party MPs Kanimozhi and T K S Elangovan, attemped to take out a rally to Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission here.

Their march was foiled by the authorities and the leaders were arrested along with the DMK workers.

The latest spurt in arrests has drawn reactions at the diplomatic level, with Indian government taking up the issue with the neighbouring country.

In January, India had accused Sri Lankan Navy of gunning down Indian fishermen.