Kolkata: The 95 fishermen from Kakdwip, lodged in a Bangladesh jail for intruding into the neighbouring country's waters, will likely reach India on Sunday. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee will felicitate them at Ganga Sagar Island on Monday.
"The family members are eagerly waiting to meet the fishermen, who will likely reach Indiaon Sunday. The Bangladesh Coast Guard will also hand over their six trawlers," said Kakdwip MLA Manturam Pakhira.
The fishermen, charges against whom were lifted by Bangladeshi authorities last week, were arrested in three phases between Oct and Nov. "Nilu Maiti, one of the fishermen, was blessed with a daughter a month ago," said Pakhira.
A Kakdwip court on Dec 19 also acquitted 12 Bangladeshi fishermen. They were lodged in Diamond Harbour jail since Sept 11 after their trawler capsized near the Patharpratima coast. "These fishermen, who were staying at a flood shelter at Akshaya Nagar, Kakdwip, since Dec 24, are also slated for release," said Deb Kumar Das, a local panchayat pradhan.