‘Have taken serious note of the incident’: India on death of fisherman in firing by Pakistan maritime agency

By PTI

NEW DELHI: India has taken serious note of the Pakistani Maritime Security Agency resorting to unprovoked firing on an Indian fishing boat in the Arabian Sea that resulted in the death of an Indian national, official sources said on Sunday.

The incident took place on Saturday, they said.

They said the Pakistani Maritime Security Agency fired at the Indian fishing boat resulting in the death of one Indian fisherman and injuring another.

The injured fisherman is being treated at a hospital in Okha, Gujarat, they said.

“We have taken serious note of this incident. We are going to take up this issue diplomatically with the Pakistan side. The matter is under investigation and further details will be shared in due course,” said a source.

“A fisherman from Thane in Maharashtra, who was on a fishing boat ‘Jalpari,’ was killed after the PMSA personnel opened fire on him and other crew members on Saturday evening,” Devbhumi Dwarka Superintendent of Police Sunil Joshi said.

There were seven crew members on the boat and one of them also sustained a minor injury in the firing incident, he said.

The body of fisherman Sridhar Ramesh Chamre (32) was brought to Okha port on Sunday and an FIR was registered by the Porbandar Navi Bandar police, which has jurisdiction across Gujarat over any incident that occurs beyond 12 nautical miles in the Arabian sea, he added.

“Chamre was on the fishing boat ‘Jalpari’, which had sailed from Okha on October 25 with seven crew members, five of whom were from Gujarat and two from Maharashtra,” Joshi said.

Investigation into the incident was underway, he said.

In a statement, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) said: “The case is under investigation at present by police authorities and crew are being interviewed jointly. Details can be shared only after completion of the investigation.”

However, the ICG confirmed that there was a firing in which one person died and one person was injured.

When asked about Pakistan’s claim of arresting six “occupants” of the boat, the ICG responded: “Arrests not confirmed.