Colombo - A group of 32 Indian fishermen boarded a plane back to India from Colombo after they were repatriated by the authorities. On Friday, the Indian High Commission took to X, formally known as Twitter to share the image of all the Indians standing outside the Colombo airport. The repatriation of these fishermen came weeks after 13 other fishermen were repatriated from Sri Lanka to Chennai. At least 33 Indian trawlers and 220 fishermen were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy in December last year. In a separate incident, 25 fishermen were also detained in the country. 

“Repatriated safely! A group of 32 Indian fishermen board for their flight back to India from Colombo,” the Sri Lankan High Commission wrote on X, sharing the photographs of these fishermen boarding the plane. The frequent arrests of these fishermen have become a matter of concern for both the center and the Tamil Nadu administration. While most of these fishermen hailed from Tamil Nadu, some are from Puducherry as well. 

How arrest of fishermen stir a commotion? 

In October last year, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin wrote to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, expressing concern over the frequent arrests of fishermen, ANI reported. The Tamil Nadu administration has urged the central government to safeguard the traditional fishing rights of the state's anglers in the Palk Bay region. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu BJP president Annamalai also wrote a letter to the External Affairs Minister over the issue. The matter was also discussed during the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe during the latter's visit to India in July this year. “We also discussed the issues related to the livelihood of fishermen. We agree that we should proceed with a humane approach in this matter,”  the Sri Lankan president said in a statement.