Explained: Controversy Around Katchatheevu Island And Why This Territory Is Important For Indian Fishermen

The Katchatheevu Island, a small uninhabited island located in the Palk Strait, is in the news. The territory, which was given by India to Sri Lanka as per an agreement in 1974, is making headlines as an RTI reply obtained by BJP state president K Annamalai showed how Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Prime Minister, officials in the Ministry of External Affairs and Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi dealt with the issue.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also waded into the controversy.

Reacting to the report, he blamed the DMK of doing "NOTHING to safeguard Tamil Nadu’s interests," adding, "New details emerging on #Katchatheevu have UNMASKED the DMK’s double standards totally. Congress and DMK are family units. They only care that their own sons and daughters rise. They don’t care for anyone else."

"Their callousness on Katchatheevu has harmed the interests of our poor fishermen and fisherwomen in particular," the Prime Minister said on X.

All of this has led to one very basic question — What is the Katchatheevu island and why is it important?

To understand that, we first have to know a bit more of the location and the history of the island.

Katchatheevu lies between Rameswaram and Neduntheevu (Delft Island) of Sri Lanka in the Palk Strait. It has an area of 1.15 square kilometres and the only structure on the island is the St Anthony's church. Indian pilgrims are allowed to participate in the annual festival of the church and do not require a visa to visit the island.

While in the early medieval period, it was a part of the kingdom of Jaffna (which is in Sri Lanka), it became a part of the territories of the ruler of Ramanathapuram in the 17th century.

Later during the rule of the British, Ceylon claimed that the island belonged to it even though it was considered to be part of Madras Presidency. It continued its claims after both nations became independent and in 1974, India gave the island to Sri Lanka through an agreement.

It is this agreement to hand over the island and a subsequent agreement in 1976, after which Indian fishermen are only allowed to dry their nets and catch, that is being criticised.

Why do Indian fishermen want the island?

There are mainly two reasons for which Indian fishermen want the island to be taken back from Sri Lanka.

One, is that many of the arrests of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan navy in the past few months have occurred in the area between Katchatheevu and Neduntheevu.

Arrests apart from causing trouble to them and their families also cause a heavy financial burden as their boats, which are seized by Sri Lanka are not returned.

According to the fishermen, not all of them cross the maritime boundary intentionally. Some of them end up on the other side due to reasons like bad weather and engine failure.

Two, the region is a traditional fishing area with the availability of good catch and if the island belonged to India, they would get seven to 10 nautical miles more.

This, they contend would greatly reduce the number of arrests.