New Delhi/ Kochi Italy on Tuesday rushed a top diplomat to India amid a deepening row over the arrest of two Italian naval guards accused of killing two Indian fishermen at sea.

Rome is insisting that its own judicial authorities handle the case since the incident allegedly occurred in international waters. It maintains that such military personnel are part of the Italian State and immune to the jurisdiction of foreign countries.

The Italian government, accordingly, proposes to move the Kerala High Court on Wednesday to seek the quashing of the FIR lodged against its nationals.

Junior foreign minister Staffan De Mistura will " continue on a political level the action so far carried out by a delegation of experts from the Italian foreign, defence and justice ministries," the Italian foreign ministry said in a statement in Rome while announcing the visit.

The statement also said that Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi would visit India " personally" next Tuesday.

The petition in the high court is likely to contend that Kerala police have no authority to conduct investigation in the case and courts in India have no jurisdiction in the matter as the incident occurred beyond Indian territorial waters.

The Italian foreign ministry also said that Indian police had taken " coercive" and " unilateral" action, when it escorted the two marines off the cargo vessel and arrested them on Sunday. Meanwhile, a special investigation team under Kerala Additional Director General of Police has been set up to probe the controversial shooting.

The interrogation of the two accused, who were remanded in three- day police custody on Monday, continued on Wednesday. The Naval crew has claimed that the fishermen were killed on suspicion of being pirates.

Dora Valentine, wife of one of the two fishermen killed in the firing, meanwhile, has moved a petition in the high court seeking Rs one crore compensation.

She has said the vessel Enrica Lexie should be impounded and not allowed to leave Indian shores.

In another petition, the Captain and owner of Enrica Lexie have filed a caveat before the high court seeking to hear them before passing any order with regard to compensation to the families of the two fishermen killed. The ships Captain said they had filed the petition apprehending that legal heirs of the deceased fishermen would file an admiralty suit against the vessel and obtain its arrest. A PIL seeking a direction to the central and state governments to take action in accordance with rules and file a report before the high court was also filed.