As Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Disanayaka pays visit to India, Rahul Gandhi wrote to Jaishankar to urge him to take up the issue of Indian fishermen's arrest during the bilateral talks.
The most recent death of an Indian fisherman was reported on October 25. He has been identified as Hari, though no additional information about him is currently available.
This came days after massive protests by fishermen in Rameswaram, who demanded the release of 74 fishermen arrested by Sri Lanka this year. India and Sri Lanka regularly spar over the issue of fishermen, with several Indian fisherfolk arrested every year.
Following the recent announcement of repatriation of 24 fishermen by the High Commission of India in Colombo, the total number of fishermen released and returned to India by Sri Lanka in April reaches 48.
The Katchatheevu island has become a hot election topic after PM Modi lashed at the Congress and then-Indira Gandhi government for ceding the territory to Sri Lanka in 1974. The unhappiness over the transfer of the island has persisted for about 20 years.
The fishermen and their trawlers were escorted by the navy to the Kankesanturai port and handed over to the fishing directorate for further action. The Palk Strait, a narrow strip of water separating Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka, is a rich fishing ground for fishermen from both countries.
The fishermen, who are from the Akkaraipettai village in Nagapattinam district, were fishing in the sea near the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) when they were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy.
"The poaching trawler together with 10 Indian fishermen was brought to the port of Trincomalee and they will be handed over to the Assistant Directorate of Fisheries-Trincomalee through the Sri Lanka Coast Guard," said the Sri Lankan Navy.
The hearing has initially been set to start on October 22 but was postponed due to the death of one of the five judges, it said.
The arrested fishermen were handed over to the Docks police for further investigation.
The fishermen were taken amid tight security to Karachi Cantonment Railway Station, from where they will be sent to Lahore, a police official said.
Pakistan on Sunday released 68 Indian fishermen held for allegedly violating its territorial waters from Karachi's Landhi jail as a goodwill gesture.
Pakistan's Maritime Security Force has arrested 25 Indian fishermen in the last four days for allegedly fishing in the country's territorial waters.
The Indian fishermen were on board 12 trawlers. They have been accused of indulging in bottom trawling which is outlawed in Sri Lanka
The announcement of their release was made by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Twitter Thursday night.
The fishermen had sailed from Porbandar a few days ago and were apprehended by the PMSA near the International Maritime Border Line (IMBL).
Iran has released the 15 Indian fishermen who were detained with their Bahraini boats last year.
A total of 3,293 Indian fishermen were released by Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the last three years.
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