No Indian pilgrims have attended the annual St. Anthony’s Festival on the Katchatheevu Island, foreign media reported.

It said the boycott by India came amid tensions following the killing of an Indian fisherman, allegedly by the Lankan Navy,

 Foreign media quoted Navy Commander Vice Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne as saying no Indian devotees were present.

“This is due to the killing of an Indian fishermen recently where they charged the Navy of firing. The Navy was not responsible for firing,” Wijegunaratne had said.

He had said the Navy only arrested fishing boats poaching in Sri Lankan waters and never fire at them.

 "They can't open fire without approval from the Navy Commander and I did not give firing orders," Wijegunaratne had said. 

He said the Navy had launched an investigation into the incident.

"We have asked India to provide us with Global Positioning System (GPS) location data of the boat in question. This will help us to investigate," Wijegunaratne said.