New Delhi, April 3 -- In the run up to general elections in India, the island of Katchatheevu lying halfway between India and Sri Lanka in the Palk Strait has suddenly popped up in the media like the proverbial black-tailed jackrabbit. Over the years there have been several incidents of the Sri Lankan Navy apprehending Indian fishermen for fishing in Sri Lankan waters though strictly not related to Katchatheevu alone.

There have been calls by politicians from South India, particularly Tamil Nadu, over the years that India should take Katchatheevu Island back from Sri Lanka, which was allegedly "ceded" by India to Sri Lanka by an agreement signed in 1974. Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, J Jayalalitha had even claimed that Katchatheev...