Kolkata, 15 July (H.S.): Thirty-four Indian fishermen have been detained by the Bangladesh Navy after they allegedly crossed the maritime border into Bangladeshi waters while fishing in the Bay of Bengal. As per information, the incident took place on Sunday night, approximately 77 nautical miles from the Fairway Buoy of Bangladesh’s Mongla Port, where two Indian trawlers and their crew were apprehended.

As per local fishermen's associations, all the detained fishermen are residents of the Sundarbans area in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. In search of livelihood, they ventured into the sea, but due to darkness and bad weather, they lost their way and inadvertently entered Bangladeshi waters.

The Bangladesh Navy not only detained the fishermen but also seized both trawlers and all equipment onboard. The trawlers have since been handed over to the Mongla police station, sources confirmed.

Representatives from fishermen’s organizations are in continuous contact with Indian authorities, urging diplomatic efforts to secure the early release of the detained fishermen.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey