A mobile court has sentenced a fisherman to one year in jail for catching jatka (young hilsa) in the Arial Khan river at Kalkini in Madaripur in defiance of the ban.

Upazila assistant commissioner (land) and executive magistrate Mahbuba Islam handed down the sentence after a drive in the Khunerchar area of Kalkini upazila on Saturday (26 October) afternoon.

The convicted man, Lokman Bepari (45), is the son of Karib Bepari of Ramchandrapur village in Bansgari union of Kalkini upazila.

According to the mobile court, it went on the drive after learning that jatka were being caught with current nets in the Arial Khan in defiance of the ban. The administration caught Lokman Bepari red-handed with a current net, and the court then sentenced him to one year in jail.

"Lokman Bepari has been sentenced to one year in jail," said mobile court judge Mahbuba Islam. "These drives will continue regularly to protect mother hilsa and conserve jatka."

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