Chennai (PTI): The Sri Lankan Navy handed over two fishermen, recently apprehended, and also the mortal remains of a fisherman who died at sea to the Indian Navy near the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) in the wee hours on Saturday, an official release here said.

Indian Navy ship, INS Bitra, which was on deployment off Rameshwaram, coordinated with the Sri Lankan Navy ship and received the fishermen and the dead body at sea at about 1 am.

The Indian Navy ship then proceeded to Rameshwaram, where the Navy Officer from the Naval Detachment coordinated with marine police and Tamil Nadu Fisheries department in transferring the mortal remains and the fishermen, at around 3 am, the release said.

On August 1, a fisherman from Tamil Nadu’s Rameswaram reportedly died and another went missing when the boat in which they were fishing in the mid-sea capsized after colliding with the Sri Lankan Navy ship.

The mechanised fishing boat capsized when the Sri Lankan Navy attempted to arrest them on charges of illegal fishing, a senior fisheries official had said. Four fishermen from Rameswaram who were on board fell into the sea after the boat capsized.

While one fisherman reportedly died and another went missing, two men were detained by the Lankan authorities then.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Ramangara (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday hinted at cracks and squabbling within the BJP and the JD(S), as he gave credit to the leaders of these parties for the defeat of JD(S) candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy in the Channapatna assembly bypoll.

Congress candidate C P Yogeeshwara won in Channapatna bypoll with a margin of 25,413 votes against his nearest rival and NDA candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy, as results were announced on Saturday.

The Congress party swept all the three assembly constituencies in Karnataka, namely Channapatna, Sandur and Shiggaon, which went for bypolls.

Nikhil Kumaraswamy is the son of Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy and grandson of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda. In September last year, JD(S) joined the NDA led by BJP.

“Many people from across the parties have helped us in this election (Channapatna). Congress had only 16,000 votes in the previous assembly election. It increased in the Lok Sabha election,” Shivakumar told reporters here.

According to him, many people from the JD(S) and the BJP supported the Congress. “If the BJP and the JD(S) leaders had not supported us directly or indirectly, we wouldn’t have got so many votes. I congratulate them,” Shivakumar, who is also the Congress state president, said.

He quipped that the JD(S), which had 19 seats in the Karnataka Assembly, has now reduced to 18.

Hailing the electorate, the Deputy CM said this was people’s verdict in favour of C P Yogeeshwara to develop Channapatna constituency.

There was no immediate reaction from the BJP or the JD(S) on it.