Kamal Ghorui
Kolkata: A total of 151 fishermen from India and Bangladesh were repatriated to their respective countries as part of a coordinated exchange on Thursday, reports Tamaghna Banerjee.Twenty-three Indian fishermen and two Indian fishing boats were released by Bangladesh, and 128 Bangladeshi fishermen along with five fishing boats were freed by India, officials said. The mutual repatriation was facilitated with Bangladeshi authorities by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG). A senior defence official said the exchange took place along the International Maritime Boundary Line in the Bay of Bengal. ICG ships Samudra Pahredar and Vijaya handed over the fishermen and boats to Bangladesh coast guard vessels Kamaruzzaman and Sonar Bangla. The Indian fishermen were detained by Bangladesh authorities for crossing the IMBL while the Bangladeshi fishermen were held for fishing illegally in India’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
