INDIA: Opposition activists protest against the shooting of fishermen off southern coast by crew of Italian vessel 'Enrica Lexie'

Record ID: 1377234

  • Title: INDIA: Opposition activists protest against the shooting of fishermen off southern coast by crew of Italian vessel 'Enrica Lexie'
  • Date: 20th February 2012
  • Summary: KOCHI, KERALA, INDIA (FEBRUARY 18, 2012) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI-NO ACCESS BBC) PROTESTING ACTIVISTS OF INDIA'S MAIN OPPOSITION, THE BHARATIYA JANATA PARTY (BJP), ABOARD A FERRY ACTIVISTS HOLDING THE BJP FLAG FERRY CARRYING DEMONSTRATORS APPROACHING THE ITALIAN VESSEL 'ENRICA LEXIE' ENRICA LEXIE ANCHORED AT SEA ACTIVISTS SHOUTING SLOGANS THE 'ENRICA LEXIE' ACTIVISTS PROTESTING AGAINST CHIEF OF INDIA'S RULING CONGRESS PARTY, SONIA GANDHI ACTIVISTS HOLDING A BLACK FLAG OUT THE BOAT'S WINDOW (SOUNDBITE) (Malayalam) DEMONSTRATOR, RAJAGOPAL, SAYING: "The authorities and officials concerned have not taken any kind of action till now. In a state where there are many higher authorities, it feels as if their hands have been tied. The roots of this issue point towards 10 Janpath (the New Delhi residence of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi) and even A.K Antony (India's Defence Minister) has not spoken strongly on the matter." DEMONSTRATORS SHOUTING
  • Embargoed: 6th March 2012 02:39
  • Keywords:
  • Location: India, India
  • Country: India
  • Topics: Crime,International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA8YN6IX4WSUCT7MYUE18C18QSE
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: Demonstrators from India's main opposition party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), protested in the southern city of Kochi on Saturday (February 18) against the shooting of two fishermen by the crew of the Italian ship 'Enrica Lexie' in India's territorial waters.
    The demonstrators strongly condemned the lack of concrete action by Indian authorities, putting the blame on the federal leadership in New Delhi.
    "The authorities and officials concerned have not taken any kind of action till now. In a state where there are many higher authorities, it feels as if their hands have been tied. The roots of this issue point towards 10 Janpath (the New Delhi residence of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi) and even A.K Antony (India's Defence Minister) has not spoken strongly on the matter," said Rajagopal, one demonstrator.
    Armed with the BJP emblem, the demonstrators approached the Italian ship aboard a ferry, shouting slogans and waving black flags.
    Two fishermen were killed when a navy security team on an Italian merchant vessel opened fire on a boat it mistook for pirates at sea off the coast of Kerala, officials said on Thursday (February 16).
    A case of murder has been registered against the crew, said a senior official at Neendakara Coastal police station, where surviving fishermen sought help.
    Italy's ambassador was summoned to a meeting with a senior official at the Foreign Office to explain what had happened on Wednesday night (February 15). The ambassador was asked to ensure the crew of the ship cooperate with Indian authorities, a Foreign Ministry official said.
    Italy's Navy said the fishing boat had approached the Napoli-registered vessel Enrica Lexie in an aggressive manner.
  • Copyright Holder: ANI (India)
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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