On 18 October, Rajkiran and two other fishermen – S Sugandan, 22, and A Xavier, 38 – were fishing. When Rajkiran collided with a SL naval ship trawler and sank. The other two fishermen were captured by the Sri Lankan Navy, and Rajkiran's body was found after a search operation on 20 October. The body of 28-year-old fisherman R Rajkiran was handed over to his family members at Kottaipattinam in Pudukottai district of Tamil Nadu. The minister also presented a compensation of Rs 10 lakh announced by Chief Minister MK Stalin to the kin of the deceased fisherman.
After the Indian Coast Guard and a local fisherman carried Rajkiran's remains to shore, Minister for Law, Courts, Prisons and Prevention of Corruption S Regupathy and Pudukottai Collector Kavita Ramu paid tributes to him. In the morning, the Sri Lankan Navy handed over the body to the Indian Coast Guard at the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL). Kottaipattinam fishermen have been refusing to venture into the sea since October 20, claiming that the ship was hit by the Sri Lankan Navy, causing it to sink.
In contrast, according to the Navy's website, an Indian fishing boat sank north-west of Kovilan Lighthouse in Sri Lankan waters on 18 October. As per reports, the trawler collided with the naval craft while trying to escape from the SL Navy. The trawler drowned after the incident. Stalin wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting him to intervene in the release of the detained fisherman and the return of Rajkiran's remains.
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