India and Bangladesh are set to repatriate 95 Indian fishermen and 90 Bangladeshi fishermen on January 5, 2025, in a humanitarian gesture aimed at easing the lives of fishing communities on both sides. The specific creeks that will be used for this event will comprise the joint effort of the respective coast guards of India and Bangladesh. This will step another level to bilateral closeness between the two countries.
The Ministry of External Affairs, about India, notifies the operation, emphasizing that there are humanitarian and livelihood concerns for fishing communities, which in the normal course of events, have to face inadvertent crossing of the International Maritime Boundary Line. As the MEA puts it, a major number of Indian fishermen have been arrested by Bangladesh authorities due to accidental crossing into their waters, while correspondingly some have also been detained by India.
The repatriation process will have its culmination place at sea on January 5, where 95 Indian fishermen will be transferred by the Bangladesh Coast Guard and 90 Bangladeshi fishermen will be sent to their authorities. Not only the fishermen but also two Bangladeshi fishing vessels seized in India and six Indian fishing boats seized in Bangladesh will be exchanged.
Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that the process of mutual release and repatriation started on January 2, 2025, and logistics management and arrangements are to be taken over by the Bangladesh Coast Guard for repatriation by sea of Indian fishermen to their respective countries. This operation is set to be completed by midday on 6 January when the Bangladeshi fishermen and their vessels are expected to arrive in Chattogram.
Much effort has been put into coordinating this entire process through relevant sections from the countries' foreign, home, fisheries, shipping, and other ministries. Authorities involved include the Bangladesh Coast Guard, Bangladesh Police, Indian Coast Guards, and local administration.
Repatriating these fishermen helps assert the importance of peaceful relations between these two nations along with the safety and welfare of the fishermen and their communities as well on which the livelihoods of those communities depend on fishing.
