Bangladesh, India exchange detained fishermen
Two neighbors exchange 79 detained fishermen and several boats in Bay of Bengal, marking rare cooperation amid recurring maritime arrests
DHAKA, Bangladesh (MNTV) — Bangladesh and India on Tuesday completed a coordinated repatriation of detained fishermen, exchanging 32 Bangladeshis and 47 Indians held for maritime boundary violations in the Bay of Bengal — a recurring flashpoint that often traps impoverished coastal communities in cross-border legal disputes.
According to a statement from the Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry, described by officials as a joint initiative involving multiple civilian and maritime agencies, the handover took place along the international maritime line where the Bangladesh Coast Guard received its nationals from their Indian counterparts and simultaneously returned the detained Indian fishermen.
The ministry said the operation was carried out under a pre-arranged protocol to prevent prolonged incarceration of fishermen whose livelihoods depend on navigating complex, shifting coastal waters.
Authorities confirmed that India also returned a Bangladesh-owned fishing vessel during the exchange, while Bangladesh handed back three Indian fishing boats. Such returns are often negotiated separately from repatriations and can take months, as ownership verification and marine-safety assessments are required before release.
Officials added that a separate group of six Bangladeshi fishermen detained in India’s northeastern state of Meghalaya is expected to be repatriated later through Nakugaon Land Port in Sherpur district, with the process overseen by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and India’s Border Security Force (BSF).
These detentions, unrelated to the Bay of Bengal incident, reflect the broader pattern of small-scale fishermen inadvertently crossing poorly demarcated or seasonally shifting water and land borders.
Fishermen from both countries frequently find themselves in custody because of tidal drift, engine failure or limited access to modern navigation tools — factors long flagged by maritime experts as structural risks affecting coastal livelihoods.
Rights groups in Dhaka and New Delhi have repeatedly urged both governments to expand early-warning systems, improve GPS access and create fast-track mechanisms for repatriation to prevent months-long detentions.
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