Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake visiting Katchatheevu by naval boat on September 2, 2025. His trip –  became headline news across India, with coverage ranging from factual reports on sovereignty to fiery local commentary.

National Print and Online Coverage

Indian national dailies and websites reported President Dissanayake’s unannounced Katchatheevu visit prominently, often linking it to India–Sri Lanka relations and Tamil Nadu politics. The Hindu broke the story, noting the President made a “quick, unannounced visit” to the island after vowing to safeguard Sri Lanka’s “seas and islands” and resist “external pressure”

Its report by Meera Srinivasan highlighted that the “apparent reference to Katchatheevu” in Dissanayake’s speech drew immediate attention in Tamil media, following actor-turned-politician Vijay’s demand at a Madurai rally that India retrieve the island. 

The Times of India’s coverage struck a similar tone: “Katchatheevu row: Sri Lankan president ‘inspects’ island; makes unscheduled visit days after actor-politician Vijay’s remarks” read its headline.

TOI detailed how Dissanayake’s “inspection” came just after Vijay’s speech urging “Retrieve Katchatheevu… for our fishermen’s safety”, and it quoted Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath dismissing Vijay’s call as election “rhetoric,” while firmly reaffirming “Katchatheevu belongs to Sri Lanka”

India Today’s report also underscored Colombo’s hard stance. It emphasized that the visit followed Vijay’s remarks and that Sri Lanka was “firmly asserting its sovereignty amid renewed political debate in Tamil Nadu”. The piece noted President Dissanayake’s declaration that Katchatheevu is an “integral part” of Sri Lanka and his pledge to “protect our land, islands, [and] sea… for future generations”

Some outlets provided analysis alongside news. The Tribune (Chandigarh) ran an editorial titled “Signal from a Lankan island,” interpreting Dissanayake’s trip as a calculated message to India and Tamil Nadu. 

It observed that the President, accused by critics of being “too soft on India,” had now shown he can “stand up for Sri Lanka’s interests” by visibly marking Sri Lankan territory[8]. The Tribune recapped the 1970s Indo-Lanka agreements that ceded Katchatheevu and bluntly argued Tamil Nadu leaders often perpetuate the “illusion” that taking back the island would solve fishermen’s woes.

In contrast, The New Indian Express and other national outlets carried straightforward news updates. Their reports noted the historic first-ever presidential visit and Colombo’s resolve not to “yield to external pressure” on the Katchatheevu issue, while acknowledging the political backdrop of upcoming Tamil Nadu elections and decades-old fishing disputes.

Televised Coverage and Commentary

Television and digital news platforms in India widely covered the Katchatheevu visit, each with its own focus. NDTV broadcast the story with the headline “Sri Lanka President Visits Katchatheevu Island, Vows To Protect Territory.” The channel highlighted that Dissanayake became the “first Lankan head of state to visit the island” and stressed his commitment to safeguarding Sri Lanka’s territory. 

NDTV correspondent J. Sam Daniel Stalin’s report provided rich context: it explained Katchatheevu’s history as the 1.9 sq km islet ceded to Sri Lanka in the 1970s, and noted how Tamil Nadu leaders (from CM M.K. Stalin to actor Vijay) have been urging its retrieval, especially with state elections looming. NDTV underscored the human angle too – reminding viewers that over the decades “more than a thousand” Indian fishermen have been killed or injured in maritime clashes– and pointed out that Dissanayake’s “symbolic, assertive visit” has made Katchatheevu “once again the centre of political and diplomatic discussions”

Republic TV, known for its combative panels, took a more politicized angle. In prime-time debates, Republic dubbed the visit a “Katchatheevu flashpoint” and said the Lankan President’s move had “reignited the DMK–BJP–Congress blame game.” 

The channel’s segments focused on how Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK and the BJP-led Centre traded barbs over the Katchatheevu issue after Vijay’s provocative remarks. For instance, anchors noted that DMK’s M.K. Stalin has long blamed Prime Minister Modi’s government for inaction, while BJP spokespersons retaliated that it was Congress (allied with the DMK) that “callously gave away” the island in 1974. 

India Today’s television coverage (and its online video reports) leaned more toward explaining the development. An India Today TV explainer outlined why Katchatheevu has become a hot-button topic – touching on Tamil fishermen’s hardships and Vijay’s entry into politics – and noted Sri Lanka’s stern response that the island is “not for sale, not for surrender”. 

Overall, TV coverage ranged from factual reportage (NDTV, India Today) to opinion-driven talk shows (Republic) that amplified the political rhetoric around Dissanayake’s trip.

Tamil Nadu Media and Local Reactions

In Tamil Nadu, regional media and politicians reacted strongly, with coverage reflecting local sentiments and concerns. Leading Tamil newspapers gave front-page attention to the Katchatheevu visit. 

Daily Thanthi (Dina Thanthi), the state’s largest Tamil daily, ran a bold headline in Tamil proclaiming: “Katchatheevu will not be given up under any circumstances; Sri Lankan President firm”. Its report noted that no Sri Lankan head of state had ever set foot on Katchatheevu before, and described how President Dissanayake, after launching projects in Jaffna, suddenly took a naval boat to the island and spent over an hour there.

Daily Thanthi prominently quoted Dissanayake’s assertive words to Sri Lankan naval officers and fishermen on the island: “Katchatheevu is our land…belongs to our people… It’s my responsibility to protect it. We will not give up Katchatheevu for any reason,” he said, drawing a firm line against India’s retrieval calls.

The same paper (in a Tamil Nadu news section) featured reactions like that of CPI state secretary R. Mutharasan, who condemned Dissanayake’s remarks. Mutharasan argued the President’s speech “will not strengthen India–Sri Lanka relations. Rather, it has angered the people of Tamil Nadu,” calling the stance the “height of arrogance” and urging New Delhi to respond.

Other Tamil-language outlets echoed the theme. Dinamalar, another major daily, reminded readers of Sri Lanka’s foreign minister stating that discussing Katchatheevu during Tamil Nadu election season is a common political ploy, implying Dissanayake’s visit was meant to blunt those demands.

Tamil TV news channels – like Sun News, Polimer and Puthiya Thalaimurai – ran extensive segments (often in animated debates) on the issue. They highlighted Tamil Nadu fishermen’s plight and replayed Vijay’s fiery quote: “Retrieve Katchatheevu at least now… that would be enough,” which had stirred this controversy.

These regional channels also reported on Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s stance, recalling that the Tamil Nadu Assembly had passed a resolution urging the Indian government to work for Katchatheevu’s return. 

Editorials and opinion pieces in Tamil outlets argued that reclaiming the island is essential to protect fishermen, even as they acknowledged the central government in New Delhi has shown no sign of taking such a step in reality.

Differing tones and political fallout

Notably, Indian media also highlighted diplomatic nuances. Several reports pointed out that New Delhi had yet to officially react to the visit, suggesting it was being treated cautiously as Sri Lanka’s internal matter. 

The Indian Express observed that India’s Ministry of External Affairs had previously termed the Katchatheevu accord a settled issue, even as Tamil Nadu politicians keep it alive for local politics (this context was implied in multiple reports). 

At the same time, The Tribune’s editorial and similar columns implicitly advised calm, reasoning that “speeches made from election platforms” in Tamil Nadu should not be taken at face value by Colombo and that Sri Lanka asserting ownership of the islet was expected. 

In contrast, Tamil outlets and leaders like Mutharasan warned that Colombo’s aggressive posture – e.g. threatening that arrested Indian fishermen “will not be released easily” and seized boats “won’t be returned”– was unacceptable and provocative. 

Overall, President Dissanayake’s Katchatheevu visit generated extensive coverage in India that mirrored the fault lines of the issue itself. While national outlets highlighted the reaffirmation of Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and the factual developments of the visit, Tamil Nadu’s media and political class seized on it as fodder for an emotive campaign about fishermen’s rights and Tamil pride. (Newswire)

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The feasibility of a tourism development project that would connect Neduntheevu and Katchatheevu is being studied, Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources, Ramalingam Chandrasekar, said.

Minister Ramalingam Chandrasekar made the remark during an observation trip to Katchatheevu Island with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday. 

“We inquired of the Navy about the safety of our fishermen engaged in fishing activities in the Katchatheevu area, the challenges they face, and the development projects to be carried out in the area,” he said. 

Revealing that, similarly, various projects are being formulated to develop the tourism sector, Minister Ramalingam Chandrasekar said that, in this regard, the feasibility of implementing a tourism project that would connect Neduntheevu and Katchatheevu was also explored.

“As tourists are currently coming to Neduntheevu, there is a plan to extend development to Katchatheevu,” he said. (Newswire)

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By Rear Admiral Y. N. Jayarathna (Retd.)

The St Anthony’s Church festival in Katchatheevu recently wrapped up for the year. As has been the case for the past many years, both Sri Lankan and Indian Central governments worked hard to ensure that the festival took place with due respect for religious formalities, involving devotees from both countries.

And as has been the case for a long time, the Indian Coast Guard worked in coordination with the Sri Lanka Navy and the Sri Lanka Coast Guard to ensure that sea passages were under their control, guaranteeing safe passage for all devotees.

Both agencies deployed additional manpower and the Sri Lanka Navy in particular took much of the burden in putting up the infrastructure for devotees. The Indian devotees were escorted and handed over to the Sri Lanka Navy at the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and they were handed back to the Indian Navy on their return.

The writer has had firsthand experience in these formalities when he commanded the capital ship that was deployed for the Festival. He was, and is, well aware of the operating procedures, which are time tested and have endured all this while with much coordination and cooperation between the Navy and the Coast Guard.

This year was no different. The standard arrangements were made, and the feast was concluded without any injuries or casualties. Yet as with previous years, and perhaps more discernibly than ever, the Indian media on social media and blogs appeared to behave in a way that may not be conducive to good relations between the two countries.

In the opinion of this writer, the Indian media perpetuated a picture that created hate and invited troubles in both countries and for both sides. My assessment is based on how so-called journalists covered the feast and how their reporting impacted each country’s perception of the other. Clearly, they were fostering anger among Indian audiences, while the Sri Lankans who commented on their posts demonstrated a disturbing level of anti-Indian sentiment. This contradicts the efforts the Indian central government is making to ensure a positive image of itself in Sri Lanka and among Sri Lankans.

I can cite specific examples here. Take this coverage, by India Today. The comments feed reveals a polarizing situation. The media is, of course, pursuing its agenda of more shares and likes and more comments. They seem unaware of the comments that are piling up on their channels, which promote hate and disdain rather than cooperation and good relations. This underscores the troubles that media narratives can create.

Of course, this is hardly the first time something of this sort has happened. Way back in March 2010, one website reported on Katchatheevu extensively citing Indian media sources, specifically “journalists and social activists from Tamil Nadu.” These “findings” were clearly made to stir up the broader India-China factor – which of course remains, then as now, a major selling point for the Indian media in general.

It is clear that the focus of the reporting on the Church Festival is not the festival itself. There is a clear political slant and orientation there. Take its reporting on the issue of Indian fishermen intruding on Sri Lankan waters. The Indian media repeatedly refers to it as a fishing issue. Yet for Sri Lankans, it has become a poaching issue.

Moreover, the India Today reporter cited above seems to have failed in distinguishing the Bay of Bengal from the Palk Strait, hinting that they are ignorant of the ground situation and the history behind the landmark resolution of maritime boundaries in the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, which was finalized many years before the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea came into force.

What Sri Lanka, India, and the Maldives achieved in those days is an example of regional diplomacy and remains so. It is thus questionable as to why the Indian media has set this aside in its pursuit of a political agenda.

These developments make necessary difficult choices. The writer believes that from next year on, Sri Lanka should facilitate only bona fide devotees not media personnel, who, under the cover of journalism, seem to stir up negative sentiments among the population.

Already, official remarks and statements on the island during last year’s elections in India have triggered opinions across political divides. This has fueled much anti-Indian feeling. Fortunately, both the Indian Prime Minister and Indian Foreign Minister handled matters diplomatically enough to deflect their criticism not to Sri Lanka but to the Opposition, the Indian Congress Party, which was in power when the Katchatheevu issue was resolved in the 1970s. Yet the Indian media’s reporting has enflamed tensions and anti-Indian sentiment in Sri Lanka. Neither Sri Lanka nor India should allow this to escalate.

The tone and the manner of Indian media narratives may jack up ratings for those outlets, but it can rupture understanding at a time when India and Sri Lanka are trying to foster good relations with each other over trade and connectivity. The intense cold war in Tamil Nadu between the traditional political parties and the BJP, and the rivalry among Tamil Nadu’s traditional political movers and shakers, which has been augmented by media coverage, can complicate matters – for India and Sri Lanka.

I strongly believe this is both unnecessary and avoidable. The Indian media’s reporting on the fishing-cum-poaching issue is a case in point. It is the opinion of this writer that if Indian fishermen stay within their maritime jurisdiction there will be no poaching and virtually no destruction of marine environment due to bottom trawling. Both the Central and State governments, in India and Tamil Nadu, thus need to intervene proactively to ensure that media coverage does not lead to disinformation on these issues.

One year back, the Hindustan Times reported on a “Chinese radar station” in Sri Lanka. None of the Indian media outlets reported on this a year later. When the then Navy Commander visited New Delhi as part of an official tour in 2018, the Times of India came up with a news story on a Chinese radar in the south of Sri Lanka that was “spying on India.” The tone and manner in these reports indicated a brewing war among neighbors in the region.

The truth is that, where the China factor is concerned, the Indian media can obtain tens of thousands of views, shares, and comments for their reporting. This may seem trivial, and governments on both sides can say that it promotes free media. Yet the detrimental impacts of such reporting should not be lost sight of.

Moreover, at a time when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited Sri Lanka and is about to leave after penning several crucial agreements with Colombo, this writer feels that the Indian government should pay attention to how sensationalist reporting by media outlets can impact bilateral ties in the longer term. The government must take back control of the narrative. Otherwise, a backlash against such reporting in Sri Lanka can lead to a situation not too dissimilar to 2022, when the power of the people ultimately prevailed over an elected government that had lost its mandate.

Rear Admiral Y. N. Jayarathna (Retd) was the Chief of Staff and Chief Hydrographer of the Sri Lanka Navy and Joint Chief Hydrographer to the Sri Lankan Government. On retirement his services have been secured by the United Nations as an International Consultant for Undersea Cables. He is presently engaged in a consultancy role on maritime matters on a freelance basis. He can be reached at ynjayarathna@hotmail.com.

Factum is an Asia-Pacific-focused think tank on International Relations, Tech Cooperation, and Strategic Communications accessible via www.factum.lk.

The views expressed here are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the organization’s.

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The Tamil Nadu Assembly unanimously passed a resolution urging the Union government to take steps to retrieve Katchatheevu Island from Sri Lanka. Opposition parties of AIADMK and the BJP also supported the motion.

The resolution emphasised the challenges faced by Tamil Nadu’s fishermen due to ongoing arrests and seizures by the Sri Lankan Navy. 

Chief Minister MK Stalin led the discussion on the House floor, insisting that the only permanent solution was the retrieval of Katchatheevu and emphasised the ongoing plight of Tamil Nadu fishermen.

He urged the Union Government to amend the agreement with Sri Lanka and called on the Prime Minister, who was scheduled to visit Sri Lanka, to discuss the issue with its leaders. 

“This House unanimously urges the Union Government to take all steps to retrieve Katchatheevu and secure the release of our fishermen,” Stalin declared.

“The Union government seems to forget that Tamil Nadu fishermen are Indian fishermen as well,” he said, pointing out that despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2014 assurance that fishermen would not come under attack, they continued to face arrests and the seizure of their boats.

“In 2024 alone, over 500 fishermen have been arrested—that is two per day. The External Affairs Minister himself admitted in March that 97 fishermen are still in Sri Lankan prisons. This must stop,” Stalin said while presenting the resolution. 

BJP MLA Vanathi Srinivasan supported the resolution but questioned why the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) had not taken action when it was in power at the Centre.

“We believe that only PM Modi can retrieve Katchatheevu,” she stated, while also pointing out, “But why didn’t the DMK raise this issue when they were in power at the Centre for decades?”

She referenced an RTI reply stating that Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister–Stalin’s father M Karunanidhi–at the time was aware of the island’s transfer and was expected to “keep reactions low-key.”

Stalin, however, rejected claims that the DMK had consented to giving away the island in 1974, stating, “DMK then opposed the decision and even convened an all-party meeting against it.”

With all parties, including the BJP, backing the resolution, it was passed unanimously. (IndiaToday)

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India has not sent any official communication yet on the Katchatheevu island issue, Minister of Water Supply and Estate Infrastructure Development of Sri Lanka Jeevan Thondaman told Indian media on Monday. 

According to The Indian Express, Minister Thondaman said as far as Sri Lanka is concerned, Katchatheevu island falls within the Sri Lankan line of control. 

“Narendra Modi’s foreign policy with Sri Lanka is organic and healthy. So far, there has not been an official communication from India to return the powers of Katchatheevu island. No such request from India so far. If there is such a communication, the foreign ministry will reply to that,” Minister Thondaman said. 

Even as Minister Thondaman denied any communication yet from India, another Sri Lankan minister, who did not want to be named, told The Indian Express that national boundaries cannot be changed as per wishes of a new government.

“For good or bad, Katchatheevu was formally recognised inside Sri Lanka’s line of control. Once the boundary is decided, no one can demand a change just because of a change in government… But Katchatheevu hasn’t been a topic of discussion in the Sri Lankan Cabinet; there is no communication from India in this regard.

“If Katchatheevu is about the Tamil community, they exist on either side of the borders. If it is about the Tamil fishermen issue, linking both is inappropriate and inaccurate because the issue with regards to Indian fishermen is all about the bottom-trawlers they use for fishing outside Indian waters, which is illegal as per international maritime laws.

“When this huge exploitation and depletion of maritime resources happen in the entire ocean region, the victims of these trawlers owned by Indian Tamil fishermen are not Muslims or Sinhala fishermen but the Sri Lankan Tamil fishermen,” the minister said.

The comments come as PM Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) scaled up its attack on the Congress, accusing it and the DMK of giving away the island, and the party’s Tamil Nadu unit chief K Annamalai claiming that the Centre is taking all possible measures to reclaim the territory.

Sri Lanka’s response also comes on a day External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar added his weight to the BJP claims that the Congress government led by Indira Gandhi had given away the Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka in 1974 and kept this “hidden” and Annamalai said the central government is taking all possible measures to reclaim the territory.

Speaking at a press conference at the BJP headquarters in Delhi, Jaishankar, however, parried a question on whether the government plans to reclaim the island, saying the matter is in Supreme Court. “It is a sub-judice matter,” he said.

Later in the day, Annamalai told reporters in Chennai: “The ball is in the Centre’s court now. All solutions possible will be considered. The only aim of the BJP in this issue is to protect the safety of Tamil fishermen. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and EAM Jaishankar are being very serious in this case. It (Katchatheevu) was handed over illegally to Sri Lanka.”

The last high-level discussions between India and Sri Lanka were held in New Delhi on March 28, just three days before the BJP brought up the issue, following a news report based on information accessed by Annamalai under the RTI Act.

A communication from the Sri Lankan President’s media division said after the talks that the delegation headed by Sagala Ratnayaka, senior adviser to the President on National Security and Chief of Presidential Staff, had “discussions to assess bilateral economic connectivity projects between Sri Lanka and India”. Ratnayaka was unavailable for comment on Monday.

The revival of the Katchatheevu issue and the unprecedented interest in it shown by Delhi in the past two days have reignited speculation in Tamil Nadu that the BJP has a plan laid out for Katchatheevu before the Lok Sabha election day on April 19.

A senior state BJP leader said the island issue has been in the party’s radar since Annamalai’s much-hyped four-day visit to Sri Lanka in 2022. This visit was considered a significant outreach on behalf of the BJP leadership to address pending issues with Sri Lanka such as Katchatheevu and the attacks on Tamil fishermen by the Sri Lankan navy.

The BJP leader, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said following Annamalai’s visit, the party leadership had a plan to come out with a significant announcement on Katchatheevu island before the end of the current Modi regime. “Of course it was an ambitious plan but it hasn’t materialized so far,” he said.

“Withdrawing a set of executive instructions from 1976 on the 1974 agreement was the strategy, but we are not sure of the efforts taken by Delhi in this regard. Even as retrieving the island is a near impossible idea, our request to Delhi was to restore the traditional rights of Indian vessels in the area as it would have been a huge gain for the BJP Tamil Nadu unit,” the leader said. (NewsWire/ India Express)

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday blamed the Congress for the partition of India, stating that it was the Indira Gandhi government which gave the Katchatheevu Island to Sri Lanka in 1974, Indian Media reported. 

Economic Times reported that the island, located between Rameswaram (India) and Sri Lanka, was traditionally used by both Sri Lankan and Indian fishermen. 

In 1974, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi accepted Katchatheevu as Sri Lankan territory under the “Indo-Sri Lankan Maritime Agreement”.

“These people divided mother India into three parts for politics..,” the Prime Minister said in Lok Sabha, launching a blistering attack on the Congress during his reply to a debate on a no-confidence motion.

PM Modi said the DMK government in Tamil Nadu keeps writing to him urging him to bring Katchatheevu back to India.

“Katchatheevu is an island between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. Somebody gave it to another country. It happened under the leadership of Indira Gandhi,” he said.

“Wasn’t that part of Maa Bharati there?” Modi asked in an apparent response to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remark during the debate on Wednesday. (NewsWire)

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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has made a written request from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to raise certain key factors during the visit of Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe. 

Taking to Twitter, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin stated that he has requested the Indian PM to address matters relating to the retrieval of the Katchatheevu island, the protection of the fishing rights of Indian fishermen, and the aspirations of the Tamil community in Sri Lanka. 

M.K. Stalin further stated that he expects the Indian PM to raise the matters during his diplomatic discussions with the visiting Sri Lankan President.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe who is in India on a two-day official state visit is expected to meet Indian President Draupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Upon his arrival, the President was welcomed by the Indian State Minister of External Affairs V. Muraleedharan.

The President was hosted by India’s Minister of External Affairs, Dr. Subramanyam Jaishankar for a one-on-one meeting this morning.

India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval also called on President Ranil Wickremesinghe in New Delhi today. 

Indian billionaire Gautam Adani is also reported to have met President Ranil Wickremesinghe to explore a multiple range of projects in Sri Lanka. (NewsWire)

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