BSF returns 2 fishermen after a day
Indian Border Security Force (BSF) yesterday handed over two Bangladeshi fishermen to Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), a day after they picked them up from the Padma in Rajshahi’s Godagari upazila.
The returnees are Abdur Rahim, 55, and Omar Ali, 44, of Premtoli Kathalbaria village of the upazila.
They were retuned through a flag meeting held near Vatopara border at 4:30pm, said Lt Col Ferdous Mahmud, director of BGB Battalion-1.
During the meeting, BSF personnel claimed to have detained the fishermen as they entered Indian territory while fishing in the river.
BSF however, returned them as they were not included in the list of identified smugglers, said BGB officials.
Meanwhile, other fishermen in the area alleged that the BSF officials actually kidnapped the two.
Nayan Ali, a member of Matikata Union Parishad, said members of 35 BSF Battalion entered Bangladesh territory on a speedboat, and caught the fishermen when they were returning home around 4:00pm on Thursday.
Lt Col Ferdous, on that day told The Daily Star that fishermen of both Bangladesh and India often cross the respective country’s territory mistakenly while fishing in the area.
Comments