CPI workers protest over death sentence awarded to Indian fishermen in SL

The Communist Party of India (CPI) workers staged a protest here on Saturday over the death sentence given to five Indian fishermen by a Sri Lankan court.

Extremely upset with the judgement, they demanded the Sri Lankan court to revoke its ruling.

CPI general secretary D. Pandian demanded the Centre to take this matter to the United Nations. "The government should bring it to the notice of the United Nations to give the fundamental rights to the Tamil speaking population who are the legitimate citizens of Sri Lanka. They can't deny any right, they must be given all the rights including the political rights," said Pandian.

"The government should pay attention to that to retrieve the rights and put them back in the residences and on their land. But this government is donating crores of rupees," he added.he Colombo High Court had on Thursday sentenced five Indians and three Sri Lankans to death on charges of drug smuggling. The five Indians are among a group of eight people sentenced to death by the high court in Colombo. They had been arrested on a boat in the seas off northern Jaffna's Delft islet.

The Indian fishermen claim that they have been falsely implicated in the case.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam has strongly condemned the Sri Lankan court's decision.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he strongly condemned the conviction. Panneerselvam said the Tamil Nadu Government has consistently insisted that these fishermen were innocent and that the case has been foisted on them. The Chief Minister added that the evidence against these fishermen in the court is a fabrication.