April 02, 2024

Why are India's fishermen boycotting the general election?

topic:	Overfishing
located:	Sri Lanka, India
editor:	Rejimon Kuttappan

Fishermen from Ramanathapuram in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu are hinting at boycotting the upcoming Indian general elections on 19 April. 

They plan to surrender their Indian election identity cards as a resolute gesture, renouncing their citizenship if the Indian government fails to find a permanent solution to the issue of the Sri Lankan navy arresting their community members who venture into the sea for fishing in the Indian Ocean.

Speaking exclusively to FairPlanet over the phone from Rameswaram on 22 March, fishermen's community leader P Jesuraj said the arrests deny the fishing community an opportunity to work, live, and care for their families. 

"If the arrested fishermen aren't released, boats aren't given back, and a permanent solution isn't found, we are going to hand over our election identity cards as a sign of renouncing our citizenship on 8 April and boycott elections," Jesuraj said.

On 16 and 20 March, seven fishing boats were seized by the Sri Lankan navy, arresting 53 Indians.

"This is the fifth incident this month and eighth this year," Jesuraj added.

The seizure of Indian fishermen's boats, arrests, and jailing of Indian fishermen on charges of poaching by the Sri Lankan Navy has been a long-standing issue.  

According to an Indian parliament document dated 2 February, between 2003 and 2024, more than 6,500 Indian fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan navy.

Jesuraj says that handing over the uninhabited 285-acre Katchatheevu Island to Sri Lanka in a 1974 agreement created confusion over the maritime border. This, he argues, has led to tensions, arrests, and jailings of Indian fishermen for decades.

Article 5 in the 1974 agreement states that "subject to the foregoing, Indian fishermen and pilgrims will enjoy access to visit Kachchativu as hitherto, and will not be required by Sri Lanka to obtain travel documents or visas for these purposes."

In February 2023, Indian fishermen boycotted a church festival organised by the Sri Lankan Christian Diocese and held in Katchatheevu as a sign of protest. 

A 2016 Carnegie India study proposes solutions for the Kachchatheevu issue: either leasing Kachchatheevu to India in perpetuity, allowing Indian fishermen continued access or establishing designated fishing zones for both Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen in each other's waters.

Ramanathapuram boasts a 237-kilometer coastline and contributes 27.3 per cent of the state's total fish production. It also accounts for roughly 23.7 per cent of Tamil Nadu's fisher population.

Image by Penny.

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