Dhaka released 95 Indian fishermen who were in various prisons in Bangladesh. On the other hand, New Delhi also released 90 Bangladeshis detained in India. Yesterday, Sunday, both sides completed this exchange program. This information is known from the report of the Indian media Telegraph India. The process of mutual repatriation of fishermen in the custody of the two countries has been completed at a time when relations between India and Bangladesh are at a high tension.
This exchange program of fishermen of both countries is coordinated by Indian Coast Guard and Bangladesh Coast Guard. The Bangladeshi side has handed over 95 Indian fishermen and four fishing boats to the Indian Coast Guard, the Indian government said in a statement.
The statement further informed that, on the other hand, the Indian Coast Guard has released 90 Bangladeshi fishermen. Of these, 12 were fishermen who were rescued from the sunken fishing boat 'Kaushik', it added, 'Indian fishermen have been transferred post-repatriation to West Bengal State Fisheries Department at South 24-Parganas post.'
Last October, 64 Indian fishermen in four trawlers were arrested in Bagerhat district of Bangladesh. Later, 31 people in two other trawlers were arrested in Patuakhali district. In view of their imprisonment for several months in Bangladesh, several fishermen's organizations in West Bengal complained, Dr. The new government of Muhammad Yunus has been unnecessarily harsh.
Sundarban Sea Fishermen Workers Union secretary Satinath Patra said, “Earlier the Bangladesh Coastal Administration used to return fishermen who crossed the international maritime boundary by mistake…now they have been given jail sentences unnecessarily.”
The fishermen's organization took several legal steps to release the prisoners in the Bangladeshi court, but it was not successful. In a speech in the Legislative Assembly on December 2, Mamata lamented that while her government had cooperated in providing legal aid to fishermen's families in neighboring countries, the Center had not done anything special in this regard.
While the fishermen's organization was trying to secure the release of the prisoners, the Indian Coast Guard arrested 78 Bangladeshi fishermen who had entered Indian waters near Paradwip in Odisha. A source said, 'Around 12 more Bangladeshi fishermen were arrested earlier…As we had around 90 Bangladeshis in our custody, it was easy to start negotiations for the release of our fishermen.'
“Finally, both governments agreed to initiate the exchange process on the maritime boundary line,” the official added.
The process of release of Indian fishermen started on December 26. This process started with the announcement of the decision to withdraw the case against 95 detained people by a Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs of Bangladesh. Later the Indian government also withdrew the case against 90 Bangladeshi jailers. Finally, senior officials of the two countries agreed to implement the joint repatriation on January 5.
