 "Who owned Katchatheevu Island before it became contested region between India and Sri Lanka?")
The Katchatheevu Island, the latest point of contention between BJP, Congress and DMK, has been a regular topic of conversation between India and Sri Lanka.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2024, raked up the Katchatheevu Island issue, criticising the Congress for ‘giving away’ the territory to Sri Lanka in 1974.
The Katchatheevu Island lies on the Sri Lankan side of the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and was “recognised” by India as Colombo’s territory under the ‘Agreement on the boundary in Historic Waters between the two countries and Related Matters.’
However, the agreement gives provision for Indian fishermen to attend the annual St. Anthony’s festival on the island and utilise it for resting and drying their nets.
A Right to Information (RTI) report reveals explosive details on how the erstwhile Indira Gandhi-led Congress handed over the island to Sri Lanka, with the assent of former Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi, under the ‘Agreement on the boundary in Historic Waters between the two countries and Related Matters.’
The report also shows the various justifications given by both India and Sri Lanka on the question of the island’s sovereignty.
But who owned the island before it became an issue of territorial claims?
A largely uninhabited island, located in Palk Bay, is believed to be a product of a volcanic eruption
In the early medieval period, Katchatheevu Island was owned by the Jaffna Kingdom of Sri Lanka
It was, however, later passed on to the Ramanathapuram-based Ramnad kingdom in the 17th century
The status of the island’s ownership has been contested by both India and Sri Lanka. Being part of the landed property of Raja of Ramnad, the erstwhile Government of Madras had taken custody of the entire territory
Meanwhile, the then Government of Ceylon had exercised de facto control over the island and had also conducted defence exercises over the island
The question over the island’s ownership had come up during a conference on fishing rights in 1921 when the then government of India under British rule had accepted Ceylon’s territorial claims over the archipelago based on Zamindari rights of the Raja of Ramnad
The issue again came up in 1955 when Civil Aviation of Ceylon showed interest in conducting a gunnery practice on Katchatheevu Island based on the belief that the area fell under Madras Flight Information Region
The Civil Aviation Authority in India referred the matter to the Ministry of External Affairs, seeking clarification regarding the ownership of the island
The agreement between India and Sri Lanka gives provision for Indian fishermen to attend the annual St. Anthony’s festival on the island and utilise it for resting and drying their nets.
Despite the provisions, fishermen from the southern Indian state have faced arrests in Sri Lanka.
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