16 Bangladeshi fishermen freed from Indian jail

Efforts are underway to free 14 more Bangladeshi prisoners from the Tamluk jail in West Bengal.

The two organisations -- Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) and the Legal Aid Services of West Bengal (LASWEB) -- have joined hands to provide legal support to citizens of one country who are languishing in jails of the other country without trial or after serving their terms.

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A good number of Bangladeshi citizens have been languishing in Indian jails and Indians in Bangladeshi prisons, said officials of the legal aid organisations at a press conference in Dhaka yesterday.

Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) will help the Indian prisoners while the Legal Aid Services of West Bengal (LASWEB) will provide legal aid to Bangladeshi prisoners.

"We found the idea of initiating a legal collaborative mechanism in the face of increasing trafficking in women and children from Bangladesh to India as they often end up in jail custody but do not get any legal support," said LASWEB Chairman Justice DK Basu.

"Many Bangladeshi citizens have been languishing in various jails of West Bengal, Mumbai and Delhi," said BLAST Vice-Chairman Justice Naimuddin Ahmed. But he could not give the exact number of the prisoners.

DK Basu said there are 32 Bangladeshi prisoners in Tamluk jail in Medinipur district and 46 Indian prisoners in Jessore jail and 14 in Rajshahi jail.

The two organisations signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work out a mutual collaboration on November 21 last year.

According to the MoU, they will provide legal aid to the prisoners without any fee.

"But the handing over of any prisoner will depend on mutual understanding and on proper inquiry by both the governments," Naimuddin said.

The organisations have facilitated the release of 16 Bangladeshi fishermen from Alipur jail on January 20 and they returned home on January 25.

These fishermen had been missing from their fishing trawler since October 2003, said Director AN Mahmood of BLAST.

The BLAST has also filed a writ petition for release of 13 Indians who have been languishing in Rajshahi jail even after they have completed their prison terms about one and a half years ago.