‘Bullet deflected on hitting water & hit fisherman: Navy
Mumbai : A fisherman who had anchored his boat off Mumbai High, a high security installation zone which is a major source of natural gas and oil for the country, got shot by the Indian Navy on Sunday evening. Navy claimed that the fisherman was not the target, however, the bullet ‘deflected on hitting the water and accidently hit a fisherman in the boat’.
According to officials, the fisherman rushed to Mumbai High installation for first aid, then airlifted and admitted to a city hospital. He is reportedly stable now.
On several occasions, the Indian Navy and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) have complained that despite repeated warnings, fishermen venture into the ‘no venture zone’ for fishing in the proximity of the Mumbai High. Navy officials said, “There is plenty of fish in the proximity of Mumbai High due to multiple reasons including no shipping movement, night lights and structures in sea that attract fish.”
He added, “At high sea, when fishermen run out of water or food, they come to structures of Mumbai High in search of water or food kept for its staffers in case of emergency. They anchor their boats to oil pipes”
On Sunday evening, Immediate Support Vessel (ISV) which was deployed for coastal security patrol in the Offshore Development Area at Mumbai High, around 80 km off Mumbai, reported some boats at an oil platform. ISV warned the fishing boats to go away from the high security installation. Most of the boats went away except for one.
Indian Navy PRO Cdr Rahul Sinha said, “Despite repeated warnings when the boat refused to move out of the prohibited area, warning shots were fired into the water. One round deflected on hitting the water and accidently hit a fisherman in the boat.”
Vishnudas Sheshrao
