34 more fishermen jailed for defying hilsa netting ban

Mobiles courts here yesterday sentenced 34 more fishermen to one year's imprisonment each for catching hilsa in the Meghna River, defying a 15-day temporary ban.

Of the convicts, 31 were identified as Kalu Bapari, Md Monsur, Ruhul Amin, Hasan, Shah Alam, Habib, Abul Kashem, Osman Goni, Monir, Abul Halim, Siddik, Selim, Oli Ullah, Iman Gazi, Harun, Salam, Liton, Ripon, Shahid, Joynal, Nazrul, Kalu Mia, Hashim, Kalam, Siddik Ali, Osman, Monir Hossain, Hakim, Farid, Arif and Sumon.

Additional Superintendent of Police BM Nuruzzaman of Chandpur River Police said a team of the law enforcers conducted drives from Lagnimara Char to Haimchar area in Sadar upazila from 7:00am to 4:00pm yesterday and detained 31 fishermen. They also seized 81kg of mother hilsa from them.

The arrestees were later produced before the courts of executive magistrates Kamal Mohammad Rashed and Pulok Kumar Mondal. The courts sentenced them to one year's imprisonment each.

In another drive, members of Coastguard yesterday detained three fishermen from the Meghna River.

The arrestees were produced before a mobile court in the afternoon that punished them, said Lt Nuruzzaman Sheikh, station commander of Chandpur Coastguard.

The government has imposed a 15-day temporary ban on September 25 on catching, selling and transporting hilsa for safe spawning and protection of mother hilsa.

On Sunday, eight fishermen were jailed for one year each for fishing hilsa in the Meghna River, defying the on going ban.

Law enforces arrested the fishermen from Harina Ghat in Sadar upazila and Char Bhairabi in Haimchar upazila in the afternoon, said Sub-inspector Mosharrof Hossain of Chandpur River Police Outpost.

They were later produced before the courts of executive magistrates Mohammad Rashed and Saiful Islam which delivered the verdict, said Omar Faruk, sub-inspector of the river police outpost.