It is just as well that India has dropped a plan to prosecute two Italian marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen under a tough anti-piracy law. Better late than never.

But the Indian government needlessly put everyone, including itself, through the wringer, botching up ties with Italy, if not the European Union. Italy last week withdrew its Ambassador as a result of the recent turn of events. That was perhaps the wake-up call.

To recap, on February 15 two years ago, an Italian oil vessel opened fire on a fishing trawler in Indian waters, killing two fishermen. The incident seemingly occurred some 20 nautical miles off the Kerala coast. The two Italian marines on the vessel, Chief Master Sergeant Massimiliano Latorre and Sergeant Salvatore Girone, belonging to the San Marco Regiment of the Italian Navy, were arrested. Italy wanted to try them under their laws, but India insisted on holding their trial here, and seems keen to prosecute them under – believe it or not-- our terror law.

Now, this is just an accident. The marines mistook them for pirates, probably Somalian, and took their lives. The Italian government paid a compensation of Rs 1 crore to the families of the fishermen. Still, we insist on going over the top. This sort of jingoism does our world stature no good at all.

And, what’s more, such accidents are nothing out of the ordinary.

A fortnight after the killing of the two fishermen, a Singapore flag-bearing ship owned by an NRI group rammed a fishing boat in the same waters, killing five fishermen. The incident was quietly buried and it's not known if, and to what extent, the victims' families were compensated. A few years earlier, a Chinese trawler involved in a similar incident off the Kerala coast was let off after payment of Rs 5 lakh as compensation.

Then why this special treatment to the Italians? Even if we do not read too much politics into it, what is obvious is that the bureaucracies at the Ministries of Home, Defence and External Affairs have not worked in tandem and thought through the implications of their actions.

But, such obduracy in international matters does the country no good. India was vociferous about the ill-treatment of one of its diplomats in the US recently, risking its ties even here. We must act with more restraint.

Assistant Editor

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