Chennai, Dec 12 (IANS): DMK leader M. Karunanidhi Thursday attacked the central and Puducherry governments for failing to secure the release of Indian fishermen jailed in Sri Lanka.
"The English lodged Indian freedom fighters in Andaman in Bay of Bengal. Now Sri Lanka Navy is converting the Bay of Bengal into an open air jail (for Tamil Nadu fishermen)," he said.
"And India is permitting it," Karunanidhi said in a statement.
He accused the central and Puducherry governments of not taking proper steps to assure the release of 80 fishermen hailing from Karaikal region now lodged in a Sri Lankan jail for more than 80 days.
The Sri Lanka Navy Wednesday detained over 200 Indian fishermen travelling in 32 boats in the sea dividing the two countries.
The former Tamil Nadu chief minister said the Sri Lanka Navy released 175 fishermen and 17 boats and took the remaining Indian fishermen and their boats to Jaffna.