Fishermen attack MP-led drive to protect mother hilsa, 41 detained

At least five law enforcement personnel were injured in an attack by fishermen during a drive to protect mother hilsa, led by a local MP on the Padma River in Shariatpur’s Zajira.

The incident took place early Monday (19 October) at Kalikal Char on the Padma River in Palerchar Union of Zajira upazila. The drive was led by Sayeed Ahmed, BNP MP for Shariatpur-1 (Sadar and Zajira). At the time of the incident, he was on a speedboat with fisheries officials a short distance away.

A total of 41 fishermen were detained in the incident.

Shariatpur District Fisheries Officer Biswajit Kumar Deb told Prothom Alo, “When we went on a drive to protect mother hilsa, fishermen attacked members of the law enforcement agencies and fisheries department. We detained 41 people during today’s drive. Everyone will be brought under the law.”

Zajira Police Station Officer-in-Charge Saleh Ahmed confirmed the incident. He told Prothom Alo that police personnel were at the scene and that details would be available once they returned.

According to the Shariatpur District Fisheries Office, the fisheries department has been conducting drives to protect mother hilsa since 8 October. Fishing, selling, transporting and storing hilsa are prohibited during this period, which will continue until 22 October.

However, despite the ban, mother hilsa are being caught at various points along the Padma River in Zajira, Naria and Bhedarganj.

The district fisheries department said hilsa was being sold at at least 25 riverside locations across the district despite the ban. Buyers are also gathering in large numbers throughout the day and night to purchase the fish.

The fisheries department, upazila administration, police and Coast Guard have been conducting drives, but have been unable to completely stop hilsa fishing.

MP Sayeed Ahmed took the initiative to join a drive in person to stop the illegal fishing. Early Monday, he led a team comprising law enforcement personnel and fisheries officials from the Shafi Kazi intersection area in Bilaspur Union of Zajira onto the Padma River.

During the drive, which lasted about four hours from Shafi Kazi intersection to Palerchar, 41 fishermen were detained. Sources concerned said around 200,000 metres of nets used for catching hilsa were also seized.

Sources involved in the drive said the attack took place when the team reached Kalikal Char on the northern side of the Padma River in Palerchar Union. More than 100 fishermen allegedly joined forces, armed with sharp weapons and sticks, and attacked the team, throwing brickbats at them. At least five law enforcement personnel were injured.

Police and Coast Guard members later chased the fishermen involved in the attack. Several fishermen were surrounded on a river island.

MP Sayeed Ahmed told Prothom Alo, “We have received evidence that those currently catching mother hilsa in the river in defiance of the fisheries department’s ban are not registered fishermen. In light of this, I personally led a drive on the Padma River with members of the law enforcement agencies. More drives like this will be conducted to protect mother hilsa.”

On Sunday, BNP MP Sheikh Farid Ahmed of Chandpur-3 (Sadar-Haimchar) also joined a drive on the river to protect mother hilsa. In the afternoon, he conducted surprise patrols in different parts of the Meghna River by speedboat. He seized banned current nets and boats and issued a stern warning to fishermen preparing to catch fish not to go out onto the river.

Shariatpur has 33,000 registered fishermen. Of them, 28,929 earn their livelihoods by catching and selling hilsa. As fishing has been prohibited in the rivers for 22 consecutive days since 8 October, each of these fishermen has been provided with 25kg of rice as food assistance.

Confirming the matter, District Fisheries Officer Biswajit Kumar Deb told Prothom Alo that some unscrupulous fishermen in parts of Shariatpur were still catching hilsa in defiance of the ban. They were being detained during enforcement drives.

Over the past 10 days, 20 drives have been conducted, resulting in 72 fishermen receiving prison sentences of varying lengths, he added.