Why is it in the News?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi once again attacked the Congress about its decision to “callously give away” the island of Katchatheevu.

About the Island of Katchatheevu:

• Katchatheevu is an uninhabited area located between India and Sri Lanka in the Palk Strait.
• It measures around 1.6 km in length and slightly over 300 m wide at its broadest point.
• Situated northeast of Rameswaram, it is approximately 33 km away from the Indian coast.
• Moreover, it is positioned about 62 km southwest of Jaffna, at the northern tip of Sri Lanka, and 24 km from the inhabited Delft Island, which is a part of Sri Lanka.
• Katchatheevu is not suited for permanent settlement as there is no source of drinking water on the island.

History of the island:

• Being the product of a 14-century volcanic eruption, Katchatheevu is relatively new in the geological timescale.
• In the early medieval period, it was controlled by the Jaffna kingdom of Sri Lanka.
• In the 17th century, control passed to the Ramnad zamindari based out of Ramanathapuram, about 55 km northwest of Rameswaram.

What is the dispute?

• The island became part of the Madras Presidency during the British Raj.
• But in 1921, both India and Sri Lanka, at the time British colonies, claimed Katchatheevu to determine fishing boundaries.
• A survey marked Katchatheevu in Sri Lanka, but a British delegation from India challenged this, citing ownership of the island by the Ramnad kingdom.
• This dispute was not settled until 1974.

What is the Agreement on Katchatheevu Island?

• In 1974, Indira Gandhi made attempts to settle the maritime border between India and Sri Lanka, once and for all.
  • As a part of this settlement, known as the ‘Indo-Sri Lankan Maritime Agreement’, Indira Gandhi ‘ceded’ Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka.
  • At the time, she thought the island had little strategic value and that ceasing India’s claim over the island would deepen its ties with its southern neighbor.
• Moreover, as per the agreement, Indian fishermen were still allowed to access Katchatheevu “hitherto”.
  • Unfortunately, the issue of fishing rights was not ironed out by the agreement.
  • Sri Lanka interpreted Indian fishermen’s right to access Katchatheevu to be limited to “rest, drying nets and for visit to the Catholic shrine without a visa”.
• Another agreement in 1976, during the period of Emergency in India, barred either country from fishing in the other’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
  • Again, Katchatheevu lay right at the edge of the EEZs of either country, retaining a degree of uncertainty about fishing rights.

How did the Sri Lankan Civil War Impact Katchatheevu?

• Between 1983 and 2009, the border dispute remained on the back burner as a bloody civil war raged in Sri Lanka.
• With the Sri Lankan naval forces preoccupied with their task of cutting off supply lines of the LTTE based out of Jaffna, incursions by Indian fishermen well into Sri Lankan waters were commonplace.
• Bigger Indian trawlers were especially resented as they would not only tend to overfish but also damage Sri Lankan fishing nets and boats.
• In 2009, the war with the LTTE ended, and things dramatically changed. Colombo beefed up its maritime defenses and turned its focus to Indian fishermen.
• Facing a depletion of marine resources on the Indian side, they would frequently enter Sri Lankan waters as they had been doing for years, but finally began facing consequences.
• To date, the Sri Lankan navy routinely arrests Indian fishermen and there have been many allegations of custodial torture and death.
• The demand for Katchatheevu is revived each time such an incident happens.

Indian Government Stance on Katchatheevu Island:

• The Union government’s position on Katchatheevu has largely remained unchanged.
• It has argued that since the island had always been under dispute, “no territory belonging to India was ceded nor sovereignty relinquished.”