A young fisherman from Palghar in Maharashtra, who was in a fishing boat with six others, was shot dead while another was injured when Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) personnel resorted to unprovoked firing on the vessel in international waters off the Gujarat coast.
India has "taken serious note" of the unprovoked firing on the traditional fishing boat which is a clear violation of the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea.
"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," a senior official told PTI news agency.
The deceased has been identified as Shridhar R. Chamare (32), a resident of Vadrai, a coastal village in Palghar district. The incident has sparked anger among the fishing community. They have demanded that an international probe be ordered into the rash action by the Pakistani security personnel.
Devbhumi Dwarka Superintendent of Police Sunil Joshi informed media persons on Sunday that the Pakistani personnel fired at the fishing trawler ‘Jalpari’ around 4 p.m. on Saturday. Another of the seven crew members sustained a minor injury in the firing incident, Free Press Journal cited Joshi as saying.
The body of the deceased was brought to Okha port on Sunday and an FIR was registered by the Porbandar Navi Bandar police. Navi Bandar Police have jurisdiction across Gujarat over any incident that occurs beyond 12 nautical miles in the Arabian Sea, according to the Superintendent of Police.
“The ‘Jalpari’ had sailed from Okha on October 25 with seven crew members, five of whom were from Gujarat and two from Maharashtra,” Joshi said. He said further investigations into the incident were in progress.
Slamming the incident, India-Pakistan peace activist Jatin Desai said in Mumbai, "Firing is unacceptable…it violates all international conventions.’’
"Under no circumstances traditional fishing boats should be fired upon. It's high time that the governments of India and Pakistan work out a permanent solution to this issue. Ideally, both should agree to have a 'no arrest policy' also."
