78 Bangladeshi fishermen held by India await green signal from Indian govt to be repatriated
Indian government is believed to be delaying its nod as it would like to use this as a bargaining chip for the release of 95 Indian fishermen currently in Bangladeshi jail
The 78 Bangladeshi fishermen apprehended by the Indian Coast Guard for allegedly entering the Indian waters are waiting for a green signal from the government of India to be repatriated to their country.
The Indian government is believed to be delaying its nod as it would like to use this as a bargaining chip for the release of 95 Indian fishermen currently in Bangladeshi jail, reports Telegraph India.
For the last three days, the detained Bangladeshi fishermen have been staying in Paradip of India's Odisha.
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Quoting sources, the newspaper reported that the delay in their release was on account of the Indian government's insistence on the release of Indian fishermen arrested by Bangladeshi authorities.
The arrested Indian nationals have been in Bangladesh jails since October.
The local Paradip police gave the Bangladeshi fishermen the necessary clearance, following the legal procedure, such as verifying their identity cards and other documents to ascertain their credentials.
"The 78 Bangladeshi nationals were apprehended by the Indian Coast Guard on Monday [9 December] around 145 nautical miles away from Paradip while netting the fish. The Indian Coast Guard brought them to Paradip on Tuesday [10 December] around 4pm," Paradip Deputy Superintendent of Police Santosh Jena told Telegraph India.
"The next day, they handed them over to us for required legal verification. After the legal verification, we handed over the people to the Indian Coast Guard according to their demands. They will take a call on how the people will be repatriated," he added.
The fishermen were intercepted onboard two vessels, FV Laila-2 and FV Meghna-5, near the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) during a routine surveillance. Indian sources said around 160 tonnes of fish were seized from the two trawlers. FV Laila-2 carried 41 crew members, and FV Meghna-5 had 37. The fish were in the ice chambers of the trawlers.
"Though it has been decided to repatriate the Bangladeshi nationals, it has not been decided when they will be taken to the IMBL border and released. Our job is over. Now, the Indian Coast Guard will take a call on the issue after remaining in touch with the Ministry of External Affairs," said a senior official.
The officials posted at Paradip Coast Guard remained tight-lipped on the issue.
"They are in our custody. We have no more information about it. They have been put up in their trawlers only. The Ministry of External Affairs will take a call when they will be released," said a Coast Guard official.
