23 Indian fishermen freed from Bagerhat jail

Twenty-three Indian fishermen were released from Bagerhat District Jail today (27 January) following a court order.

Jail authorities handed them over to the Bangladesh Coast Guard around 11:00am in the presence of officials from the Indian High Commission, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, police, and an executive magistrate from the district administration.

After the handover, Coast Guard members escorted the fishermen to Mongla under security. They are scheduled to be handed over to the Indian Coast Guard at the midpoint of the Bangladesh–India maritime boundary on Thursday.

The fishermen were arrested in two phases in October 2025 for illegally entering Bangladesh waters and fishing there.

In one incident, navy personnel detained 14 fishermen along with a fishing trawler, while in a separate incident, nine more fishermen were arrested with another trawler.

Cases were later filed against them under the Marine Fisheries Act, and they were sent to jail.

Bagerhat Jail Superintendent Md Mostafa Kamal said a Bagerhat court acquitted all 23 fishermen of the charges on January 20 this year.

Following the court verdict, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued an order on January 25 for their repatriation, leading to their release from jail, he said.

Coast Guard Mongla West Zone Lieutenant Commander Selim Biswas said Coast Guard members will transport the fishermen by sea from Mongla and hand them over to the Indian Coast Guard at the maritime boundary on Thursday.

Earlier, 47 Indian fishermen were released from the same jail and returned to India on December 7, 2025.