India lodged "strong protest" against Sri Lanka over firing on Indian fishermen: MEA

New Delhi [India], January 31 (ANI): India has lodged a strong protest with Sri Lanka over the recent detentions of Indian fishermen including an incident where fire was opened on them, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
In a troubling episode this week, two Indian fishermen from Karaikal sustained injuries after the Sri Lankan Navy allegedly opened fire at them in Jaffna Sea.
Following this, India lodged strong protest against firing by the Sri Lankan Navy. The Ministry of External Affairs had also summoned the Sri Lankan Acting High Commissioner in Delhi to lodge a protest over the incident.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, during the weekly media briefing, said that India conveyed a strong protest against the incident. He also gave details of the number of Indian fishermen detained by Sri Lanka.
"Regarding number of fishermen, we have been giving out the numbers at certain interval... What I can tell you is that the last press release that was issued was in regard to 13 fishermen who were apprehended and 5 of them also sustained injuries, 2 of them seriously, and thereafter we had to summon the Sri Lankan acting high commissioner here in Delhi to convey a strong protest on it," he said.
Earlier on Thursday, six Indian fishermen detained by Sri Lanka were released and repatriated to Chennai.
Further, talking about threats levelled by Trump against de-dollarisation, MEA reiterated External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's stance that the BRICS nations "do not have" any such agenda.
"Regarding BRICS, whatever decisions are taken, are taken based upon a consensus. Our External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has also said earlier that regarding de-dollarisation, there is no such policy among BRICS nations," he said.
Earlier in the day US President Donald Trump once again held out the threat of tariffs to BRICS nations if they try to replace the US Dollar with any other currency.
BRICS nations have been actively working on reducing dollar dependence. During the plenary session of the 15th BRICS Summit in 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for de-dollarisation, stating that "BRICS countries must expand settlements in national currencies and enhance cooperation between banks."
In June 2024, BRICS foreign ministers met in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, where they advocated for the "enhanced use of local currencies in bilateral and multilateral trades and financial transactions between the member countries." (ANI)