Govt, Italians hand-in-glove: Wife of slain fisherman

KOLLAM/THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Italian marines accused of killing two Kerala fishermen slipped away from the Indian legal system because of a conspiracy between the union government and Italy, wife on one of the fisherman said on Tuesday.

Reacting to the news that the Italian marines would not return to India, Dora , wife of Valentine Jelastine, said she could now only pray to the almighty for ample punishment to the killers of her husband. "What else can I do? Any amount of money given will not be enough to compensate the absence of my husband," she said.

Representatives of fishermen organizations staged a protest march in front of secretariat on Tuesday and demanded the Central government to take immediate steps to bring the marines back before the courts.

Addressing the march, CPM politburo member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said the union government should show the courage to put the Italian ambassador in India behind the bars. "If the marines are not coming back to face the legal course of action in India as promised, the ambassador who stood surety before the Supreme Court should be jailed. If done so, they will certainly come back," Kodiyeri said.