YSRCP MP urges Centre to ensure safe release of nine fishermen detained by Bangladesh

Amaravati, Jan 2 (IANS) YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) MP Maddila Gurumoorthy, on Friday, urged the Union government to ensure the safe release of nine fishermen who were detained by the Bangladesh Coast Guard.

In a letter to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the MP said that nine fishermen from Andhra Pradesh were apprehended by the Bangladesh Coast Guard in the mid sea of Bay of Bengal on October 21, 2025 while they were operating a mechanised fishing vessel.

The fishermen hail from Vizianagaram district and their families are in distress and undergoing mental agony, he said, and urged the Union government to use their offices to seek the release and safe return of the fishermen.

According to Gurumoorthy, the fishermen inadvertently crossed the international maritime boundary near the West Bengal coast due to navigational lapses but were detained by the Bangladesh Coast Guard.

He said that there was no criminal intent involved.

He added the fishermen depend entirely on traditional fishing for their livelihood and that their prolonged detention has caused severe mental and financial distress to their families.

The YSRCP MP from Tirupati added that Bangladesh is a signatory to international maritime laws and that provisions under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea allow for the release of detained fishermen and vessels in such cases.

Citing humanitarian concerns, Gurumoorthy appealed to the Centre and the Indian High Commission in Bangladesh to take immediate steps to resolve the issue and ensure the fishermen’s early release.

The state government had said that eight fishermen from Vizianagaram district were detained by the Bangladesh Navy after their boat allegedly strayed into the neighbouring country’s territorial waters.

The state government contacted the MEA through the Andhra Pradesh Bhavan in New Delhi to secure the release of the fishermen.

A special legal team of the Indian High Commission in Dhaka is providing legal aid for their release.

A charge sheet has been filed in Bangladesh against the fishermen, prompting the Andhra Pradesh government to appeal to the Bangladesh Embassy for cooperation to allow continuous contact with the fishermen’s families.

Union Civil Aviation Minister, K. Ram Mohan Naidu, took up the matter with the External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar requesting steps for their swift return.

ms/khz