Amid growing concern over reports of people being pushed into Bangladesh through land borders from India, the government has secured the return of 91 Bangladeshi fishermen who had been detained by the Indian Coast Guard.
On Sunday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the fishermen were formally handed over by the Indian Coast Guard to its Bangladesh counterpart at the maritime boundary in the Bay of Bengal.
The ministry said four Bangladeshi fishing vessels were also returned during the handover operation.
The repatriation comes at a time when reports have emerged almost daily of people being forced across different frontier points into Bangladesh.
Indian authorities have described those returned as “illegal Bangladeshis”.
