Pakistan's maritime security agency (PMSA) personnel fired on an Indian fishing boat in the Arabian sea off Gujarat coast, killing a crew member and injuring another, police said on Sunday. The incident occurred around 4 pm on Saturday near the international maritime boundary line, they said. India has taken serious note of the PMSA resorting to unprovoked firing on the Indian fishing boat and is going to take up this issue diplomatically with the Pakistan side, official sources said in Delhi.
"A fisherman from Thane in Maharashtra, who was on a fishing boat 'Jalpari,' was killed after the PMSA personnel opened fire on him and other crew members on Saturday evening," Devbhumi Dwarka Superintendent of Police Sunil Joshi said. There were seven crew members on the boat and one of them also sustained a minor injury in the firing incident, he said.
The body of fisherman Sridhar Ramesh Chamre (32) was brought to Okha port on Sunday and an FIR was registered by the Porbandar Navi Bandar police, which has jurisdiction across Gujarat over any incident that occurs beyond 12 nautical miles in the Arabian sea, he added.
"Chamre was on the fishing boat 'Jalpari', which had sailed from Okha on October 25 with seven crew members, five of whom were from Gujarat and two from Maharashtra," Joshi said. Investigation into the incident was underway, he said.
In a statement, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) said: "The case is under investigation at present by police authorities and crew are being interviewed jointly. Details can be shared only after completion of the investigation."
However, the ICG confirmed that there was a firing in which one person died and one person was injured. When asked about Pakistan's claim of arresting six "occupants" of the boat, the ICG responded: "Arrests not confirmed."