Fisherman allegedly hit by speeding Coast Guard vehicle

A29-year-old fisherman was injured when a speeding vehicle of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) allegedly knocked him down near the renowned Sri Kothandaramaswamy temple here on Sunday.

The vehicle, which was coming from Dhanushkodi, south-east of Pamban island, hit fisherman A Vignesh who was standing near the temple, local fishers said, claiming that the ICG vehicle did not stop to help the injured man.

The injured fisherman is from Natarajapuram Fishers Colony in Rameshwaram.

A group of fishermen, who noticed the incident, rushed Vignesh to the government hospital here for treatment. He is said to be stable, they said.

The incident has come as a rude shock to the local fishers who have been facing frequent troubles from the Sri Lankan Navy whenever they ventured into the sea for fishing.

“It is indeed shocking that our own defence forces’ vehicle did not stop to rush aid after the vehicle hit our man,” a fisherman said.

The Dhanushkodi police are investigating the case.

Meanwhile, when contacted, an official of the ICG said the incident is being probed.