JC Kothiya, in-charge superintendent of police (SP) of Porbandar, said an FIR has been registered at the Navi Bandar Marine police station in Porbandar against 10 PMSA personnel based on a complaint filed by Dilip alias Gado Solanki, tandel (captain) of fishing trawler Jalpari.

“The incident took place off Jakhau coast. As per the complainant, two patrolling boats came from the Pakistan side and intercepted Jal Pari from the right-hand side and from the back at around 4 pm Saturday. They tried to block the fishing boat and started firing on it. Shreedhar Ramesh Chamre was killed in the firing,” Kothiya told journalists in Porbandar Monday. He added there were a total of six fishermen on board Jal Pari.

The FIR was registered late Sunday night under IPC Sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 114 (abettor present when the offence is committed) and under the Arms Act. The FIR names five persons, each on the two boats of PMSA, as accused.

When asked if there was any confirmation the firing was done by PMSA or some other state agencies of Pakistan, the SP said, “As per the complaint filed by the fisherman, the accused were dressed in a blue-coloured uniform but it is a matter of investigation if they were Pakistan forces or some other fishermen.”

The Navi Bandar Marine police station in Porbandar has jurisdiction over the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of India off the Gujarat coast. The EEZ starts from 12 nautical miles off the Gujarat coast and extends up to 200 nautical miles towards sea.

The body of Shreedhar Chamre, the fisherman killed in the incident, was handed over to his relatives after a post-mortem at a hospital in Jamnagar. (File)

“Chamre’s post-mortem was done by the forensic medicines doctor at GG Hospital in Jamnagar Monday morning, after which his body was handed over to his father-in-law,” said police inspector Krushankumar Jadeja, in-charge of the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Porbandar.

Jadeja is the investigating officer of the case. “The boat Jal Pari was brought to Porbandar late Sunday and we are getting it examined by the forensic experts as well as ballistic experts,” the police inspector said, adding, “One bullet hit Chamre from the left side of his back and exited from his chest, killing him on the spot. Another bullet bruised Solanki’s cheek before the fishermen managed to escape to safety and eventually return to Okha harbour.”

A native of the Vadrai village at Palghar in Maharashtra, the 32-year-old Chamre is survived by his wife and two daughters. Solanki, the 34-year-old tandel of Jal Pari, is a native of Wankbara in Union Territory of Diu off Una coast in Gujarat.

“The complainant claims that they were fishing in the Indian territorial waters when two PMSA boats chased them. First, they fired in the air and then on the fishing boat but eventually gave up the chase,” said Jadeja.

The fishing trawler is registered in the name of Jayanti Rathod, a resident of Gir Somnath. The boat was registered at Veraval harbour in Gir Somnath but was operating from Okha harbour in Devbhumi Dwarka, police said. Jal Pari had set sail from Okha on October 25 and was fishing off the Jakhau coast when it was fired upon.