Fisherman injured in firing by Pak marine agency hospitalised in Bhuj

After the Indian Coast Guard filed a complaint on Monday, police detained the two boats and picked up the two tandels for questioning.

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The fishermen had sustained the injury when he was fishing near the IMBL off the Jakhau coast in Kutch on Sunday. (Representational)

THE INDIAN fisherman who was injured at mid-sea, when Pakistan Marine Security Agency (PMSA) officials fired at his boat on Sunday, was admitted to a hospital in Kutch district on Tuesday. Two tandels (captains) and the owners of two other fishing trawlers — which were part of the same boats’ group — were booked by the police for allegedly crossing over to the Pakistan side of the disputed International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) in the Arabian Sea, thereby endangering the lives of other crew members on board.

Rambarohi Rarmdhani Chamar, tandel of fishing trawler Omkar, was admitted to GK General Hospital in Bhuj town on Tuesday. “He sustained a cut behind his left shoulder and was hospitalised on Tuesday afternoon. His injuries are not reported to be serious,” said Police Inspector VK Khant, in-charge of Jakhau Marine police station.

The PI said that Chamar had sustained the injury when he was fishing near the IMBL off the Jakhau coast in Kutch on Sunday. The Indian Coast Guard had subsequently escorted the fishing boat to Jakhau on Monday. “Soon after his boat landed, we had taken Chamar to a hospital in Naliya where doctors said no bullets were lodged in his body. Then, police interrogated him since he had reportedly operated near IMBL and PMSA was also involved. After the interrogation, he was hospitalised in Bhuj,” Khant said.

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Meanwhile, based on a complaint filed by the Indian Coast Guard on Monday, Okha Marine police in Devbhumi Dwarka district booked Ashok Jiva, tandel of Murlidhar fishing trawler and Ramesh Solanki, tandel of Ul Hussaini, as well as owners of the two boats which had allegedly crossed over into the Pakistan territorial waters. They were booked under IPC sections 120 (b) (Criminal conspiracy), 280 (Rash navigation of vessel) 336 (Act endangering life or personal safety of others).

After the Indian Coast Guard filed a complaint on Monday, police detained the two boats and picked up the two tandels for questioning. While Ashok (32) is a resident of Kotda village in Kodinar taluka of Gir Somnath district; Solanki (40) is a resident of Wanakbara in Diu off the Una coast of Gujarat.

“It is a violation of fisheries regulations…There was a sort of deliberate tendency of crossing the IMBL — despite all security agencies time and again advising fishermen that doing so creates problems. They deliberately violated the IMBL and it was not a small violation… they were five to ten kilometres across the line,” Superintendent of Police of Devbhumi Dwarka, Rohan Anand told The Indian Express.

Anand said that at least four fishing trawlers were fishing by forming a group near the IMBL. Of them, Murlidhar and UL Hussaini allegedly violated the marine border. “Omkar had also violated the IMBL prompting the PMSA to fire on it,” sources said.

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PI Khant said that Omkar had set the sail from Okha port on April 2. The boat bears the registration number of Mangrol port in Junagadh district.

Sources said that tandel of Omkar boat is also likely to be booked for violating IMBL. Empty cartridges were also found from the fishing boat, which sources said the Gujarat police had sent for forensic tests.

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