Sri Lankan naval personnel allegedly damaged boats of four fishermen by pelting stones while they were fishing in mid sea off Dhanushodi on Sunday, officials said.
The naval personnel surrounded six boats of the fishermen, pelted stones at them damaging the vessels and also threw away the fishing nets, Assistant Director of Fisheries Thilomin Thyagarajan said.
As the fishermen were unable to return, rescue boats had been dispatched to bring them back to shore, he added.