Navy launches probe as videos of Chinese fishing vessels entering Indian waters near K’taka go viral

Dakshina Kannada, (Karnataka), Feb 23: The Indian Navy has launched a probe into reports of large fishing vessels bearing Chinese flags allegedly sneaking into the Indian territorial waters in the Arabian Sea near the Karnataka coastal region, sources stated on Friday.

Sources told IANS that the incident was reported three days ago and the Indian Navy is looking into the matter.

The intrusions by the Chinese fishing boats came to light after two videos went viral on social media in coastal districts raising concerns.

One 43-second-long video shows a huge vessel bearing two Chinese flags and the marking ‘BVKY 5’ coursing through the Arabian Sea in Indian territorial waters during the day.

The voices of local fishermen speaking in Malayalam and Tulu languages can be heard in the video as they go close to the Chinese boat and shoot the clip. The men on board the Chinese vessel can also be seen in the video.

Another video that has been shot at night shows the lights of Chinese vessels allegedly indulging in fishing in the Indian territorial waters. The 51-second-long video shows more than 11 vessels with golden LED lights fishing in the Arabian Sea. The use of LED lights in fishing was banned by the Indian government in 2017.

The fishermen speaking in Tule and Kannada in the video can be heard saying that all of them are Chinese boats.

Worried by the alleged intrusions by the Chinese vessels, Karnataka fishermen have urged the Indian Coast Guard and the Navy to investigate the matter.

Though a naval probe has been launched, an official statement is yet to be issued by the authorities in connection with the development.