90 fishermen, sailors detained in India return to Bangladesh

At least 90 Bangladeshi sailors and fishermen, who had been detained by the Indian Coast Guard while fishing near the international maritime boundary, were reunited with their families on Tuesday.

The Bangladesh Coast Guard formally handed over the men to their families and the owners of the fishing boats during a ceremony organised to mark the occasion in Chattogram’s Patenga.

Zahirul Haque, commander of the Coast Guard’s Eastern Zone, said the Bangladesh Coast Guard and Navy had seized six Indian fishing boats with 95 fishermen on board in a separate incident.

"On Dec 9, 2024, the Indian Coast Guard seized two Bangladeshi fishing vessels carrying 78 sailors and fishermen. They alleged that the two Bangladeshi fishing vessels were fishing in their territory. In addition, on Sept 12, 2024, when a Bangladeshi trawler sank, the country's Coast Guard rescued 12 fishermen and took them to India," he said.

He later added that the foreign ministry took the initiative and a decision was made to exchange the detainees through a bilateral agreement. The Bangladesh Coast Guard was given the responsibility of conducting it.

As part of that process, the sailors and fishermen detained by both countries at the international maritime border were handed over on Sunday.

Zahirul noted that the 90 sailors and fishermen, including those from 'FB Laila-2' and 'FB Meghna-5', were brought to Chattogram on Monday night.