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The Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Thursday called India''s allegation of the "mistreatment of Indian fishermen" as "baseless and fabricated".
The Bangladeshi MOFA said that the allegations undermine the spirit of trust between the two countries. "Bangladesh expresses its utter dismay and deep disappointment over the unfounded remarks and fabricated allegations of ill-treatment including physical abuses of the detained Indian fishermen by the Bangladesh authorities. Bangladesh firmly rejects such unfounded allegations which undermines the spirit of trust, goodwill and mutual respect between Bangladesh and India. Concerned authorities of Bangladesh have confirmed that, under no circumstances, were the detained fishermen physically abused. The matter was thoroughly investigated and it was found that no such ill-treatment or incident of physical abuse happened," the statement said. The MOFA further claimed that they treated the Indian detainees appropriately. "Bangladesh wishes to mention that the detained 95 Indian fishermen/crew members were treated appropriately during their stay in Bangladesh. As per international norms, consular accesses were duly granted to the representatives of the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, who visited the fishermen during their detention. The representatives of the Indian diplomatic missions were also present during the release of Indian fishermen from the jails on 02 January 2025 and during the fishermen''s departure from Mongla on 04 January 2025. The relevant hospitals completed the health screenings of all Indian fishermen, confirming that they were medically fit. During their journey towards the maritime border, Bangladesh Coast Guard authorities extended all necessary support and provisions," the statement added. The MOFA said that they expected the repatriation from India to be amicably solved. "The reciprocal repatriation process of the fishermen manifests the commitment of the Government of Bangladesh in resolving humanitarian issues amicably and collaboratively with the Government of India. Bangladesh calls upon all parties to avoid making such unfounded allegations that undermine the spirit of cooperation and mutual respect between the two countries," it said. "The reciprocal repatriation of 90 Bangladeshi fishermen/crew detained in India and 95 Indian fishermen/crew detained in Bangladesh was successfully completed in the afternoon of 05 January 2025 near the International Maritime Boundary Line. In the presence of the representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department of Fisheries, and Border Guard Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Coast Guard received 90 Bangladeshi fishermen/crew members and handed over 95 Indian fishermen/crew members to the Indian Coast Guard. Simultaneously, the exchange of detained vessels was also completed, two Bangladeshi fishing vessels, "FV Laila-2" and "FV Meghna-5", were returned to Bangladesh, while six Indian fishing boats were returned to India," the statement added. In a mutual exchange of fishermen coordinated between the Indian Coast Guard and the Bangladesh Coast Guard, ICG Ship Varad and Amrit Kaur successfully repatriated 95 fishermen along with four Indian fishing boats while handing over 90 Bangladeshi Fishermen including 12 rescued from a sunken fishing boat "Kaushik" on Sunday, as per an official statement. (ANI)
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