IIT-Madras to help police scan Britjo boat GPS

Chennai: Two weeks after the Rameswaram fisherman K Britjo was killed, allegedly by Sri Lankan Navy, the Coastal Security Wing of the Tamil Nadu Police collected the GPS data of the boat in which the deceased was travelling and has sought the help of IIT-Madras to analyse it.

The Coastal Security Wing had last week registered a murder case against the Sri Lankan Navy and is conducting its own investigation into the case. The killing of Britjo had caused uproar among Rameswaram fishermen who protested for more than a week and withdrew their agitation only after an assurance from the Union Government that such incidents would not recur.

“Next step is to collect evidence from Lankan navy. We will do it as per the international norms,” a senior official from the CSG told Deccan Chronicle.
Though the Sri Lankan Navy has denied involvement in the shooting incident which took place 10 nautical miles away from Rameswaram jetty on March 6, the Mandapam Marine Police Station has cited the Sri Lankan Navy as the suspect in the FIR registered under IPC sections 302 (murder), section 307 (attempt to murder) and section 25 (1A) of arms act.   

Other fishermen who travelled with Britjo had told the police the incident happened around 9.30 pm on March 6 near Sethu Canal and Adam’s Bridge after the Lankan Navy’s boats surrounded them and “opened fire with machine guns” and in the process Britjo suffered a bullet injury on his neck, while the boat driver suffered injuries after broken glass pieces hit him.

The fishermen returned to Rameswaram after cutting off their net and reached their destination by midnight, the police said. Britjo was dead by the time he was taken off the boat at Rameswaram and the boat driver was admitted to hospital.