An upazila task force detained 11 fishermen during a drive in the Meghna river sanctuary area at Haimchar in Chandpur. A mobile court sentenced eight of them to prison.

A.B.M. Ashraful Haque, senior upazila fisheries officer of Haimchar, who led the drive, confirmed the information at around midnight on Sunday, 12 October.

He said the task force ran the drive in the Meghna sanctuary area from 5pm to 10pm. The fishermen were illegally catching hilsa near Bartahabil in Haimchar upazila. The team gave chase and detained 11 people. About 2,000 metres of current net were also seized from the boat and burnt in the presence of a magistrate.

Later, at the Coast Guard's Nayani outpost, Haimchar assistant commissioner (land) Swarup Muhuri conducted a mobile court and sentenced eight of the 11 detained fishermen to 15 days' rigorous imprisonment each. The three minors were handed over to their guardians on bond.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.