Iran finally releases Bhatkal fishermen who were kept confined for trespassing borders while fishing

Bhatkal 8 January 2019: (Bhatkallys News Bureau) Fishermen from coastal Karnataka who were kept confined by the Iran authorities for trespassing into their borders while fishing from a Dubai based boat, were on January 8, released and sent back to Dubai, in what came as a relief for the families and acquaintances of the fishermen, here in coastal Karnataka including Bhatkal. 18 fishermen belonging from Uttara Kannada District and five from Ratnagiri were arrested on 27 July 2018, and were since kept in confinement on their own ships at a harbor in Iran. Several organizations including NRI forum were in touch with authorities trying to negotiate the release of the fishermen. However, after nearly six months of the arrest, on January 8, about 4.30 IST all the fishermen along with their sponsor who were also accompanying them on three boats were released and were sent back towards Dubai. According to the reports all the fishermen are expected to reach Dubai harbor on Wednesday. The fishermen while in confinement had released several videos on social media, explaining their sufferings and seeking help from authorities in Dubai and India. An emergency meeting was also held in Bhatkal’s Majlis-e-Islah wa Tanzeem, after the families sought support from the organization to get in touch with Indian government, following which the officials of Tanzeem had submitted an memorandum to the government officials seeking their immediate intervention. The release on Wednesday came as a relief to the families of the fishermen back in Karnataka as their wait for their family members has finally ended and they are expected to be united soon. (Bhatkallys News Bureau)