Katchatheevu Island Issue: Its Location, History, and Recent Controversy

Context

The Prime Minister recently accused the then Indira Gandhi government for ceding Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka. 

Katchatheevu Island

• About: It is a 285-acre uninhabited island in the Palk Strait, between India and Sri Lanka.
• Location: It lies northeast of Rameswaram, about 33 km from the Indian coast. It is about 62 km southwest of Jaffna, at the northern tip of Sri Lanka, and 24 km away from the inhabited Delft Island, belonging to Sri Lanka.
• Only structure on the island: The only structure on the island is an early 20th-century Catholic shrine – St Anthony’s church. 
• • During an annual festival, Christian priests from both India and Sri Lanka conduct the service, with devotees from both India and Sri Lanka making the pilgrimage. 
• Inhospitable Conditions: Katchatheevu is not suited for permanent settlement as there is no source of drinking water on the island.
• Evolution: Katchatheevu Island, a result of a volcanic eruption in the 14th century, is comparatively young in geological time scale.

History of Katchatheevu Island

• Medieval period: 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.
• British Rule: It became part of the Madras Presidency during the British Raj. In 1921, both India and Sri Lanka, at the time British colonies, claimed Katchatheevu in order 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.
• After Independence: In 1974, Indira Gandhi made attempts to settle the maritime border between India and Sri Lanka.
  • Indo-Sri Lankan Maritime agreement: As a part of this settlement, Indira Gandhi ‘ceded’ Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka with the perception that the island had little strategic value and ceasing India’s claim over the island would deepen its ties with its southern neighbor.
    • According to the agreement, Indian fishermen are still permitted to access Katchatheevu “until now“. 
    • However, the matter of fishing rights was not clarified in the agreement. 
  • Agreement of 1976:  Another agreement during the period of Emergency in India, barred either country from fishing in the other’s Exclusive Economic Zone. 
    • Katchatheevu lies at the edge of the EEZs of either country, retaining a degree of uncertainty with regards to fishing rights.

Impact of Sri Lankan Civil War on Katchatheevu

• Sri Lankan Focus on Blocking LTTE Supply Routes: B83 and 2009, the border dispute remained on the back burner as a bloody civil war raged in Sri Lanka.
  • The main objective of the Sri Lankan naval forces during this time was to block off the LTTE’s supply routes, which were centered in Jaffna. 
  • As a result, incidents of Indian fishermen intrusion into Sri Lankan waters became frequent.
• Concerns over Indian Trawlers: The presence of larger Indian trawlers was contentious as they not only tended to overfish but also caused damage to Sri Lankan fishing equipment and boats.
• Post-War Attention on Indian Fishermen: In 2009, the war with the LTTE ended, Sri Lanka turned the focus to Indian fishermen. 
  • With marine resources depleting on the Indian side, fishermen often ventured into Sri Lankan waters, a practice that had persisted for years but now began to incur consequences.
  • Till 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.

Tamil Nadu’s Position on Katchatheevu

• Widespread Protests: Katchatheevu was ceded to Sri Lanka without consulting the Tamil Nadu state assembly. 
  • Since the beginning, there were strong protests against Indira Gandhi‘s action, emphasizing the historical authority of the Ramnad zamindari over the island and the traditional fishing rights of Indian Tamil fishermen.
• Renewed Calls for Retrieval: In 1991, in the aftermath of India’s disastrous intervention in the Sri Lankan Civil War, the Tamil Nadu Assembly again sought retrieval of Katchatheevu and restoration of fishing rights of Tamil fishermen. 
• Petition Regarding Cession of Katchatheevu: A petition was filed in court that Katchatheevu could not be ceded to another country without a constitutional amendment. 
  • The petition argued the 1974 agreement had affected traditional fishing rights and livelihoods of Indian fishermen.
  • Since then, there have been various attempts by the state government for the retrieval of Katchatheevu island.

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