Chennai, Aug 22 (IANS): Around 60 Indian fishing boats that were engaged in fishing off the Rameshwaram coast in Tamil Nadu were subjected to stone-pelting by the Sri Lankan Navy, according to state fishing department officials.

The incident was reported on Saturday night.

The officials said that around 25 boats along with the fishing nets and other equipment were damaged in the heavy stone-pelting by the Sri Lankan Navy. The boats, according to the fisheries department, were engaged in fishing at Katchatheevu when the incident occurred.

According to fishermen, the Sri Lankan naval officials came in five vessels and conducted heavy stone-pelting on the Indian vessels thus damaging 25 including their fishing nets. However, fishermen said that none of them were injured.

Fishermen association leaders said that a strong word be sent to the Sri Lankan Navy from the Government of India that no boat from the Tamil Nadu coast be attacked by them.

Sesuraja, a leader of the fishermen association, told IANS, "This is creating a very wrong precedent and the Sri Lankan Navy has no business throwing stones at us. If our people had crossed the boundary, the duty of the Sri Lankan Navy was to appraise our team on this and not to hurl stones and damage our vessels and fishing equipment. I urge both the Central and state government to take stringent action against those involved in attacking our fishermen."