Our Correspondent :
Locals of Kurigram’s Chilmari upazila formed a human chain today demanding the immediate release and return of 25 Bangladeshi fishermen who have been in an Assam jail for the last three months without any trial.
The hour-long programme which included relatives of the victim was held at Chilmari-Ramna road in the upazila this afternoon, reports our Lalmonirhat correspondent.
All participants sought intervention from concerned authorities including the government to bring back the imprisoned Bangladeshi nationals as soon as possible.
Jamal Uddin, who participated in the human chain, said twenty-six fishermen from Chilmari’s Ramna union went to India with valid passports and visas from December 2019 to February 2020.
When they entered India, the country’s sudden lockdown put them in a difficult position. They were trying to get to the border to return to Bangladesh on May 2 when they were arrested by India’s Dhubri district police of Assam, said Jamal.
After coronavirus tests, they were sent for institutional quarantine, he said. When their visa expired, Indian police arrested them and sent them to jail, Jamal alleged.
One of the 26 Bangladeshis–Bokul Mia-died in the Indian jail on July 1. Four days later, his body was sent back to Bangladesh. Another 25 Bangladeshis are still in Indian jail, Jamal added.
Locals of Kurigram’s Chilmari upazila formed a human chain today demanding the immediate release and return of 25 Bangladeshi fishermen who have been in an Assam jail for the last three months without any trial.
The hour-long programme which included relatives of the victim was held at Chilmari-Ramna road in the upazila this afternoon, reports our Lalmonirhat correspondent.
All participants sought intervention from concerned authorities including the government to bring back the imprisoned Bangladeshi nationals as soon as possible.
Jamal Uddin, who participated in the human chain, said twenty-six fishermen from Chilmari’s Ramna union went to India with valid passports and visas from December 2019 to February 2020.
When they entered India, the country’s sudden lockdown put them in a difficult position. They were trying to get to the border to return to Bangladesh on May 2 when they were arrested by India’s Dhubri district police of Assam, said Jamal.
After coronavirus tests, they were sent for institutional quarantine, he said. When their visa expired, Indian police arrested them and sent them to jail, Jamal alleged.
One of the 26 Bangladeshis–Bokul Mia-died in the Indian jail on July 1. Four days later, his body was sent back to Bangladesh. Another 25 Bangladeshis are still in Indian jail, Jamal added.
