A clash broke out between two groups of fishermen at Peda Jalaripeta in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday over the use of 'ring net' in the restricted area of the Bay of Bengal.
A group of fishermen set on fire to six fishing boats of another group of fishermen creating a tense atmosphere in the Vasavanipalem and Jalaripeta areas in Vizag city.
They attacked each other in their mechanized boats and started chasing each other in the waters. Several fishermen had also fallen in the sea. Some of them set fire to a boat in the sea during the incident.
A large group of policemen rushed to the spot to pacify the fishermen and prevent further incidents.
We have imposed Section 144 at Vasavanipalem and Jalaripeta areas in Vizag city and set up police picketing at Mangamaripeta and Fishing Harbour to prevent possible clashes between the two groups," said city police chief Manish Kumar Sinha.
There have been clashes between fisherfolk who use traditional nets and those who use ring nets in Vizag. While ring net fishing is banned within eight kilometers of the coast, the practice continues unabated.
( With inputs from ANI )
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor