Rahul Gandhi urges Centre to raise fishermen arrests with Sri Lankan President
India TodayCongress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has urged the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to take up the issue of the arrest of "Indian fisherfolk" by Sri Lankan authorities during the visit of the island nation’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to India to secure their early release. Rahul Gandhi further requested the External Affairs Minister to request the Sri Lankan government to "waive off" fines imposed on the "fisherfolk" and to secure the release of their boots. INDIAN FISHERMEN IN SRI LANKAN CUSTODY The fishermen's issue is a contentious one in the ties between India and Sri Lanka, with Lankan Navy personnel even firing at Indian fishermen in the Palk Strait and seizing their boats in several alleged incidents of illegally entering Sri Lankan territorial waters. In 2023, the island nation's Navy arrested 240 Indian fishermen for allegedly poaching in Sri Lankan waters.