Fishermen in Madakkara have protested against the attack on their fishing boats by a gang in Ezhimala. The gang, which came in a big boat from Puthiyangadi, entered the boats and assaulted the fishermen. They also shattered the boat’s glasses. The complaint says that highly-priced fishes captured by the fishermen were seized by the gang. The attack was carried out against the boats Ayyappan, Matsya Deepa and Sulthan which went from Madakkara two days back for fishing. Fishermen from Karnataka and Rameshwaram were in the boat. The mobile phones of the fishermen were seized by the gang and thrown into the sea. The fishermen have come out in protest in the wake of incessant attacks against their boats. The boats did not venture into the sea on Wednesday morning. The coastal police and the Chandera police reached the place and pacified the fishermen as there were chances of more clashes when the boats which went for fishing came back to the coast. The inter-state fishermen are getting ready to go back to their native place in the wake of authorities not giving them protection. Around 500 inter-state workers are working in around 100 boats in Madakkara. The Madakkara fishing harbour will come to a standstill if all these fishermen go back to their native place. A conciliatary meeting will be held on Thursday under the initiative of the coastal police with all the opposing groups to solve the issues.
Mathrubhumi 2016.