91 Bangladeshi fishermen repatriated from India

Dhaka [Bangladesh], June 7 (ANI): From India, 91 Bangladeshi fishermen have been repatriated to Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

“Through the government’s diplomatic initiatives, Bangladesh has today repatriated 91 Bangladeshi fishermen who were detained in India,” the statement said.

“At the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) between the two countries in the Bay of Bengal, the Bangladesh Coast Guard received the 91 Bangladeshi fishermen along with 4 Bangladeshi-owned fishing boats from the Indian Coast Guard,” it added.

“Notably, Bangladesh consistently assists in the repatriation of its citizens stranded abroad whenever proper bilateral procedures are followed”, the statement said.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, Bangladesh Coast Guard, Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Ministry of Shipping, Bangladesh Police, local administration, and other relevant agencies worked together to successfully complete this repatriation operation,” Bangladesh Foreign Ministry said.

This comes after India on Friday reiterated that it follows a structured bilateral mechanism for the deportation of illegal Bangladeshi nationals and expressed hope that pending nationality verification requests with Dhaka would be expedited, amid fresh allegations by Bangladesh that the Border Security Force (BSF) was attempting to push people across the border.

Responding to the questions during the weekly media briefing, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal maintained a firm stance regarding the broader issue of illegal migration. Addressing the situation, he reiterated that India has established bilateral mechanisms for the repatriation of foreign nationals.

Jaiswal said, “As I have told you before also, all foreign nationals in India, if they are here illegally, including those from Bangladesh, we have laws to deal with them, and they’ll be dealt with accordingly.”

His remarks came as Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) claimed that it has “thwarted” 10 alleged BSF “push-in” attempts along different sections of the India-Bangladesh border.

Addressing the issue of deportations, Jaiswal stressed that India follows a formal bilateral process that requires confirmation of nationality by the Bangladeshi authorities before any deportation can take place. (ANI)

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