07/06/2025
My colum on Katchatheevu published today’s (7-6-2025)Pioneer - New Delhi edtion
- K.S. Radhakrishnan
Prime Minister Modi and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar have expressed their views on Katchatheevu over the past two days. Issues like Katchatheevu, the Cauvery dispute, Mullaperiyar, and Palar arise once a year, much like Thai Pongal or Deepavali, and are discussed before fading away. As Minister Jaishankar stated, the then Foreign Secretary Kewal Singh had spoken about this in October 1973. It is true that he discussed it with then Chief Minister Karunanidhi at the Chennai Secretariat in 1974, with Chief Secretary Sabhanayagam and Tamil Nadu Home Secretary S.P. Ambrose present. Minister Jaishankar also claimed that Katchatheevu was communicated to Chief Minister Karunanidhi in advance.
Reports suggest that the then Union External Affairs Minister Swaran Singh wrote letters to the Tamil Nadu government regarding this. All these were part of central-state diplomatic affairs.
Chief Minister Karunanidhi, speaking in Madurai, Tiruchy, and Papanasam in Thanjavur district, stated that Katchatheevu was handed over without the knowledge of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and called for DMK members to hold protest meetings. He convened an all-party meeting. At that time, M.G.R. had split from the DMK. On his behalf, ADMK’s headquarters secretary Aranga Nayagam attended the all-party meeting but walked out. Opposition leader Ponnappanadar, M.P.C. Samath, Communist movements, Swatantra, and Forward Bloc leaders participated in the meeting. In the Legislative Assembly, Chief Minister Karunanidhi proposed a resolution opposing the transfer of Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka. All these events took place.
In Delhi, during Nehru’s time, Communist Party leader Anantha Nambiar, Pudukkottai Vallatharasu, and G.G. Swell raised the issue in Parliament, to which Nehru responded that he had no information about it and that Katchatheevu was merely a piece of land.
In the 1960s, individuals like Chettur Vaid Doctor Krishnarao provided legal advice to the central government, urging it not to hand over Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka.
After Nehru’s demise, during Shastri’s tenure, the central government formed a committee and sent it to Colombo to discuss the matter. Tamil Nadu Minister Pudukkottai Ramaiah was a member of that committee. During Indira Gandhi’s time, amidst complications in the Indian Ocean, the U.S. presence in Diego Garcia, and Sri Lanka’s plans to lease the Trincomalee Port, Katchatheevu was handed over in 1974 without parliamentary approval, based solely on letters exchanged between the Indian and Sri Lankan foreign ministries, in violation of international law. For formality’s sake, Minister Swaran Singh tabled a statement in Parliament, spoke briefly, and handed over Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka. DMK MPs like Nanjil Manoharan, Era Sezhiyan, Mukkaiya Thevar, Mohammed Sheriff (Periyakulam), and M. Kalyanasundaram, along with MPs like Vajpayee and Lokappa, expressed their condemnation. A second agreement was discussed by Minister Y.B. Chavan in March 1976.
**In exchange for Katchatheevu, India received mere sand**
India received the barren sandbank of Wadge Bank, spanning 6,500 square kilometers, in exchange for Katchatheevu.
The second agreement was signed on March 23, 1976. This agreement defined the boundary between India and Sri Lanka in the Gulf of Mannar. It was signed by India’s Foreign Secretary Kewal Singh and Sri Lanka’s Foreign Secretary W.T. Jayasinghe.
Following this, Kewal Singh wrote a letter to W.T. Jayasinghe, elaborating on the Wadge Bank region.
In the letter, he stated:
“A mutual understanding has been reached between the two governments regarding fishing in the Wadge Bank area.”
1. The Wadge Bank, near Kanyakumari, is part of India’s Exclusive Economic Zone. India has full sovereignty over that area and its resources.
2. Sri Lankan fishing boats or fishermen will not fish in the Wadge Bank area. However, as a goodwill gesture, India may permit licensed boats to fish there for three years. After this period, Sri Lankan fishing boats are prohibited from fishing in the Wadge Bank area.
3. Sri Lankan fishing boats must accept the fees and conditions imposed by India for this purpose.
4. If India intends to explore the Wadge Bank area for petroleum or other minerals, Sri Lanka will be informed. Sri Lankan boats must cease coming to the area on the date specified by India.
5. Since Sri Lankan boats are prohibited from fishing in the Wadge Bank area, India will assist Sri Lanka in creating new fishing zones, as stated in the letter.
W.T. Jayasinghe wrote a reply letter accepting these terms. Under this agreement, the Wadge Bank area was acquired by India. However, this brought neither eligibility nor profit to India. The Wadge Bank, also known as Ravanan Medu or Kumari Medu, is a resource-rich bank where large trawlers harvest abundant marine life. Four large trawlers from Colombo continuously fished in that bank.
In 1973, Balasubramanian, a senior official from Tamil Nadu at the Indian Embassy in Colombo, met his friend Kanthalagam Sacchithananda and obtained all details regarding fishing in Ravanan Medu or Kumari Medu. At that time, Sacchithananda was a scientific researcher at the Colombo Fisheries Research Institute.
The library of the Colombo Fisheries Research Institute contained research papers and project reports with statistical data on Wadge Bank fishery, which are still available there today and accessible to everyone.
Those details were useful to the Indian government at the time.
Even today, trawlers from Colombo, Negombo, and Panadura come to Ravanan Medu, known as Kumari Medu, to fish.
Kanyakumari fishermen are witnesses to this, yet they show no concern.
In Tamil Nadu, Erode Nallasivan, a Socialist Party MLA at the time, strongly opposed this.
Jana Krishnamoorthy (BJP) filed a case in the Chennai High Court regarding this, and Nedumaran and I provided him with all the data we had. Vajpayee instructed to file the case. At that time, the establishment Congress, Swatantra, Communist parties, Abdul Samad’s Muslim League, and Forward Bloc opposed handing over Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka. Indira Congress and its leader Ramaiah also opposed it.
However, Bhaktavatsalam and C. Subramaniam supported giving Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka.
In the first agreement, fishing rights allowed Tamil Nadu fishermen to go up to Katchatheevu, but these provisions were removed in the second agreement, which was a deceitful act. The Union Minister stated that over 20 years, 6,184 fishermen were arrested, and 1,175 boats were seized. He did not mention the deaths of fishermen due to shootings. This should be accounted for from 1963.
Beyond negotiations and filing cases in international courts, considering China-U.S. dominance, India could even wage war to reclaim Katchatheevu. Diplomatically and geopolitically, this would not be wrong. Precedents exist in cases at The Hague’s International Court, where judgments have been delivered.
If we consider the impact on Indian fishermen since 1964, the numbers would be double. There is ample evidence to claim Katchatheevu belongs to India. The arguments are strong and well-armed. What Prime Minister Modi and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar said is true.
Tamil Nadu fishermen face daily distress due to actions by the Sri Lankan Navy, as reported in newspapers. Fishermen have been attacked multiple times.
During Karunanidhi’s rule, the agreements signed on 22.6.1974 and during the Emergency on 23.1.1976 were made without considering the welfare of Tamils, leading to numerous complications.
Over 115 attacks by the Sri Lankan Navy have resulted in the deaths of 300 Tamil Nadu fishermen, and many boats have been attacked and destroyed. Tamil Nadu fishermen have been severely affected. Even the right to attend the St. Anthony’s Church festival in Katchatheevu is denied to Tamil Nadu fishermen, causing the festival to be halted on several occasions. For a solution, India must reclaim Katchatheevu from Sri Lanka.
Katchatheevu, with its lush greenery, was called the Green Island. It earned the name ‘Katchatheevu’ due to the abundance of turtles (katcham) on the island.
Innocent fishermen who venture into the deep sea for fishing are sometimes harshly punished without mercy if they unknowingly cross the Indian border. Despite the understanding that these fishermen would not cause harm even if they cross the border, they are deliberately subjected to cruelty by the Sri Lankan government.
The reason for this situation is that the age-old right to fish from Katchatheevu has been reduced to merely drying fishing nets, due to the agreement made by the central government with Sri Lanka. Under this agreement, fishermen cannot even go to dry their nets today.
Due to the Sri Lankan Navy’s refusal to adhere to the agreement, the suffering faced by Tamil Nadu fishermen is immeasurable. Fishermen who go fishing near Katchatheevu fall victim to gunfire or are taken as prisoners to Sri Lanka. This issue has been discussed multiple times in the Indian Parliament, Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, and on various political party platforms, with arguments made to reclaim Katchatheevu for India.
On 3.10.1991, during the AIADMK regime, the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a resolution to reclaim Katchatheevu and sent it to the central government. The resolution is as follows:
“From time immemorial, fishermen from the coastal districts of Thanjavur, Pudukkottai, Ramanathapuram, and Tirunelveli have been fishing in the sea between Sri Lanka and India, particularly near Katchatheevu, to earn their daily livelihood, which is a historical truth. The agreements between India and Sri Lanka in 1974 and 1976 were based on the principle that both countries could continue to enjoy the rights they had in the maritime boundaries. Based on this, fishermen from Tamil Nadu continued to fish in the sea near Katchatheevu to sustain their livelihood.”
However, contrary to the rights granted under these agreements, the Sri Lankan Navy attacks, harasses, cuts fishing nets, seizes motorboats, and sinks boats, subjecting Tamil Nadu fishermen to various hardships whenever they attempt to fish in the sea as per their custom. Tamil Nadu has periodically brought such undesirable incidents to the attention of the central government.
Recently, the Sri Lankan Navy has intensified attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen. At the peak of these attacks, they have fired upon fishermen, injuring them, solely because they were fishing near Katchatheevu.
From 1983 to August 1991, the Sri Lankan Navy carried out 236 attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen. A total of 303 boats were attacked, 486 fishermen were affected, 51 boats were destroyed, 135 fishermen were injured in these attacks, over 50 fishermen lost their lives, and 57 fishermen were injured by gunfire. The Sri Lankan Navy seized 65 motorboats and arrested 205 fishermen. Notably, the number of such incidents has increased this year. The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly strongly condemns the Sri Lankan Navy’s unprovoked attacks, gunfire, and continuous infliction of various hardships on Tamil Nadu fishermen and wishes to convey this condemnation to the Sri Lankan government through the central government.
The central government must urge the Sri Lankan government to provide compensation to the families of Indian fishermen killed by the Sri Lankan Navy and create a conducive environment for Tamil Nadu fishermen to lead peaceful lives, as requested by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.
Katchatheevu genuinely belonged to the Sethupathi kings of Ramanathapuram. The island had various medicinal herbs, including umiri and chaya ver (green leaves). King Sethupathi had leased it for five years to traders Janab Mohammed Khader Marakkayar and Muthusamy Pillai to collect these. (Document: Ramanathapuram Sub-Registrar Office, Document No. 510/70, Date: 2.7.1980). For ages, this island was under the rule of the Ramanathapuram kingdom. Subsequently, through the Zamindari Abolition Act of 1947, it became part of India.
Katchatheevu is located in the Palk Strait near India’s southern coast, close to Pamban Island. It spans approximately 4 square miles, with a length of about one mile and a width of 1,000 feet. The island is composed of coral reefs and is abundant with cacti, aloe vera, and acacia trees. In the past, the British Navy used the island for bomb testing and as a recreational spot. In 1955, when the Sri Lankan government decided to use Katchatheevu for training its naval personnel, the Indian Parliament condemned the move. Since then, the issue came to light. Regarding Katchatheevu, Pandit Nehru stated in Parliament: “The Indian government has insufficient information on this matter. We are examining records about Katchatheevu. There is no need for both countries to negotiate over this small island. India’s dignity is not involved in this issue, especially with our neighboring country, Sri Lanka.” Based on the non-aligned policy in international politics, he showed no interest in this matter. Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi remained indifferent whenever this issue was raised in Parliament.
Vaiko has raised this issue in Parliament, writing to the Prime Minister 20 times over the past 13 years to stop the Sri Lankan Navy’s attacks on fishermen. It is noteworthy that Marumalarchi DMK has continuously emphasized this through several resolutions. On 23.7.1974, P.K. Mukkaiya Thevar, the Ramanathapuram MP and Forward Bloc leader, expressed condemnation and walked out of Parliament. Similarly, Mohammed Sheriff, the Periyakulam MP, also staged a walkout. At that time, Murasoli Maran remained silent in Parliament.
Communist leader Kalyanasundaram, Era Sezhiyan, Nanjil Manoharan, former minister S. Madhavan, and Pazhaniyandi spoke about this issue in Parliament.
In many ways, it is utterly unjust that Katchatheevu, an integral part of India, was given away, and Sri Lanka claims ownership of it. The following documents provide evidence that Katchatheevu belongs to India.
1. In a letter dated 20.4.1950 from the Administrative Secretary of the Ramanathapuram kingdom to the Estate Manager, it is mentioned that files regarding fishing areas from 1929 to 1945 were sent, including one specifically about Katchatheevu.
2. A map prepared by Mr. R. Ganesan, attached to a letter from Muthu, Assistant Director of Fisheries in Thoothukudi (1943), marks Katchatheevu.
3. From 1913 to 1928, for 15 years, Katchatheevu was one of the locations leased by the British government for conch and oyster fishing. When lease rules were updated in 1936, Katchatheevu remained one of the leased locations.
4. On 19.2.1922, Mr. R. Subbaiah Naidu, the Diwan of Ramanathapuram, provided details about maritime boundaries to R. Rajeswara Sethupathi, including information about Katchatheevu. This document was accepted on 27.2.1922.
5. On 4.2.1985, at the Ramanathapuram Sub-Registrar Office, Katchatheevu was leased and an agreement was registered (Document No. 134/85).
6. From 1.7.1947 to 30.6.1949, Katchatheevu was leased, and the lease agreement was registered on 26.7.1947 at the Ramanathapuram Sub-Registrar Office (Document No. 278/48).
The Sri Lankan Minister’s Secretary states that Katchatheevu does not belong to Sri Lanka. During Queen Victoria’s reign, the British government’s boundary notification did not mention Katchatheevu, and the Minister’s Secretary, P.P. Pieris, confirms that the island belonged to the Ramanathapuram Samasthanam.
Thus, when it is clear that Katchatheevu belongs to India, the central government’s indifferent attitude is an injustice to Tamil Nadu, particularly to Indian fishermen. Katchatheevu is not only a matter of India’s dignity but also a security issue. India must undertake all efforts to reclaim Katchatheevu.
Internationally, such issues have arisen multiple times. Disputes like the Palmas Island issue between the United States and the Netherlands, the Eastern Greenland Island issue between Denmark and Norway, and the Minquiers-Ecrehos Island issue between Britain and France have occurred. Based on the decisions in these cases, Katchatheevu can be definitively proven to belong to India and reclaimed through legal means, international law conventions, and agreements.
India strongly condemned the American dominance in Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. Such dominant forces could approach Katchatheevu with Sri Lanka’s acquiescence. Consequently, this could pose a threat to India’s security and sovereignty in the future.
Benefits of Katchatheevu:
1. It would serve as a protective barrier to prevent security threats to India caused by foreign dominant forces intervening in Sri Lanka.
2. The island would act as a security ring for India and be useful in various ways for implementing the Sethusamudram Canal Project.
3. It is a suitable location for nuclear research.
4. It is an ideal area for training Indian naval personnel.
5. The island could serve as a base for landing fighter jets.
6. It is suitable for deploying communication and maritime warning systems.
7. It is an apt location for research on fish and marine resources.
While the Katchatheevu issue persists, the welfare of Tamil Nadu fishermen is paramount. The disputes between Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen must also be resolved. Despite the numerous aids provided to Sri Lanka from Gandhi’s time to the present, the ungrateful Sinhala regimes…
The late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa had filed a case seeking the retrieval of Katchatheevu in Supreme Court . A resolution regarding this issue has been passed in the Tamil Nadu Assembly for the fourth time. The late Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi had also filed a case concerning Katchatheevu and impleaded himself in the matter. Now, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured that efforts are being made to reclaim Katchatheevu.
Karunanidhi had also filed a case concerning Katchatheevu and impleaded himself in the matter
Therefore, considering the fishermen’s issues, India’s security, and the growing threats in the Indian Ocean, it is imperative that the central government immediately undertake all efforts to reclaim Katchatheevu. If necessary, India should even wage war for geopolitical interests to urgently reclaim Katchatheevu.
7-6-2025.
