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Bangladesh rejects WB CM’s allegation that Indian fishermen were beaten up
India and Bangladesh completed the reciprocal repatriation of 95 Indian fishermen and 90 Bangladeshi fishermen, who were detained for crossing the maritime boundary, on January 5
New Delhi: Dhaka on Thursday pushed back against West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s accusation that some Indian fishermen recently released by Bangladeshi authorities were assaulted, describing the allegation as “baseless and fabricated”.
India and Bangladesh completed the reciprocal repatriation of 95 Indian fishermen and 90 Bangladeshi fishermen, who were detained for crossing the maritime boundary, on January 5. The move was seen as a rare positive development at a time when bilateral ties are at a low.
After interacting with the Indian fishermen, who were jailed for more than two months, on Monday, Banerjee said some of them had told her that they were “beaten up” while in custody in Bangladesh. “I saw some of them limping and...they told me they were beaten up,” she told reporters.
Banerjee said authorities in India had taken proper care of the 90 Bangladeshi fishermen. “Some of them had fallen ill. We ensured treatment for them and took proper care of them before sending them back,” she said.
A statement from Bangladesh’s foreign ministry, which didn’t name Banerjee, expressed “utter dismay and deep disappointment over the unfounded remarks and fabricated allegations of ill-treatment, including physical abuses, of the detained Indian fishermen”.
The statement added: “Bangladesh firmly rejects such unfounded allegations which undermines the spirit of trust, goodwill and mutual respect between Bangladesh and India. Concerned authorities of Bangladesh have confirmed that, under no circumstances, were the detained fishermen physically abused.”
The detained Indian fishermen were “treated appropriately” and consular access was granted to representatives of the Indian high commission in Dhaka, the statement said. Hospitals conducted health screenings for all the Indian fishermen, “confirming that they were medically fit”.
The reciprocal repatriation of the fishermen reflects the Bangladesh government’s commitment to resolve humanitarian issues “amicably and collaboratively” with India.
