India releases photos of detained Bangladeshi sailors 

The Indian authorities have released photos of 78 Bangladeshi sailors and two trawlers that they detained on allegation of intruding into the Indian waters. 

The Indian Coast Guard shared a total of three photos on its official Facebook page and X handle (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday night.

A post noted, “In a swift operation, the Indian Coast Guard apprehended two Bangladeshi fishing trawlers along with 78 crew for unauthorised fishing in Indian waters. The vessels have been brought to Paradip for legal proceedings.” 

In one of the photos, the detained sailors are seen kneeling on the deck of a vessel with their hands behind their heads and the Indian Coast Guard members standing behind them. Another photo shows two Bangladeshi trawlers sailing in the sea, and the third captures the vessels being brought to the jetty.

The two vessels are identified as FV Laila-2 and FB Meghna-5. The FV Laila-2 trawler is owned by SR Fishing, while the FB Meghna-5 is owned by C and F Agro Limited.

Suman Sen, executive director of the C and F Agro Limited, said, “When the two trawlers were fishing within one nautical mile of Bangladesh's maritime boundary in the morning on Monday, the Indian Coast Guard seized the vessels.” 

Following the announcement of seizure by the Indian authorities, they informed the Bangladesh authorities to take necessary steps to rescue them, he added. 

Commodore Mohammad Maqsud Alam, director general of the shipping department, said government agencies, including the Bangladesh Coast Guard, contacted Indian authorities following the incident. “Steps are being taken to recover the two trawlers. The sailors are now in good condition.”