Rameswaram (TN), Nov 1 : More than 3,000 Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu were chased away by the Sri Lankan Navy, who also hurled stones at them and snapped fishing nets of 50 vessels for fishing in their territorial waters, a fishermen association leader claimed on Thursday.

Rameswaram Fishermen Association President, P Sesuraja said fishermen from this town and Mandapam region had ventured into the sea Wednesday morning in over 700 mechanised boats and were fishing near Katchatheevu when Sri Lankan naval personnel arrived there and threatened them.

They also snapped the fishing nets of 50 boats and pelted stones at the fishermen before driving them away, he alleged, adding all the fishermen returned early Thursday morning without a catch.

Sesuraja urged the Centre to take up the issue with the island nation's government to prevent recurrence of such incidents.

Referring to the 1974 India-Sri Lanka agreement on fishing, he claimed that they had rights to fish in Katchatheevu, an islet ceded to the neighbouring country under the agreement.

Seventeen fishermen from Ramanathapruam and Pudukottai districts were arrested on Tuesday by the Sri Lankan Navy for fishing off Neduntheevu.

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New Delhi, Apr 19 (PTI): The BJP on Saturday disassociated itself with the sharp criticism of the Supreme Court and Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna by its MPs Nishikant Dubey and Dinesh Sharma, with party president J P Nadda rejecting the comments as their personal views.

"The BJP has nothing to do with the comments of MPs Nishikant Dubey and Dinesh Sharma on the judiciary and the chief justice. This is their personal comments, but the BJP neither agrees with them nor does it ever support such remarks. The BJP absolutely rejects them," Nadda said in a post on X.

He said the BJP has always respected the judiciary and has accepted its suggestions and orders gladly because it believes as a party all the courts, including the apex court, are an inseparable part of our democracy.

Nadda also said that he has directed both the leaders and others to not make such comments.

Fourth-term BJP MP Dubey, one of the more vocal party members in the Lok Sabha, launched a broadside against the Supreme Court earlier, saying Parliament and state assemblies should be closed down if the apex court has to make the laws.

He also took a swipe at CJI Khanna.