NEW DELHI // India's government has asked the UAE to conduct a thorough investigation into Monday's incident.
"India's ambassador in Abu Dhabi has requested UAE authorities to probe the circumstances of the tragic incident," said Syed Akbaruddin, a spokesman for the Indian ministry of external affairs.
He said the Indian Embassy in Washington had been "in touch with US agencies regarding the incident in the Gulf and assured of a full investigation".
The external affairs minister, SM Krishna, said India was "in touch with our envoys in Dubai and the US" and that the UAE had filed a case about the shooting.
"It is unfortunate that an Indian fisherman has been killed. On behalf of the government of India, I send my condolences. We have earnestly taken up the matter," said Mr Krishna.
Mr Akbaruddin also said India's acting consul general in Dubai had gone to Jebel Ali port "to provide necessary assistance to Indian nationals involved".
The chief minister of Tamil Nadu, the fishermen's home state, asked the Indian government for an inquiry into the shooting and called for the victims' families to be compensated.
J Jayalalithaa also compared the incident to one in February, when two fishermen from Kerala were killed by Italian naval officers off the south-west coast of India.
"I am pained to inform you that one of the fishermen … died due to shooting by the US naval ship," said Ms Jayalalithaa in a letter to Manmohan Singh, the Indian prime minister.
"I request you to ensure that due compensation is paid to the families of the deceased and injured fishermen."
Leaders of opposition parties in Tamil Nadu, including M Karunanidhi of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, called for the arrest of those who were responsible for the shooting.
The fishermen involved are from several villages in the district of Ramanathapuram, near the shores of the Bay of Bengal.
In Ramanathapuram, people gathered asking for more news about the injured. One young woman, Rajewari, prayed for her husband, Muthu Muniraj, who left to work in the UAE a month after his wedding.
The fishermen, on contract with a UAE-based shipping company, arrived in Dubai almost a year ago.
Family and friends mourned the passing of the dead fisherman, Sekar, 29, who left for Dubai 10 months ago to work on the ship in order to pay off debts from his sister's marriage, according to a local TV station.
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* With additional reporting by IANS
