United News of Bangladesh

Two fishermen were injured and four others went missing in a clash with the Coast Guard (CG) over the alleged demand of extortion by the battalion from the fishermen in Barguna district on Tuesday night. A tense situation was prevailing in Patharghata coastal areas following the confrontations between the groups.  General Secretary of Barguna Trawler Owners’ Association Masum Akan said thousands of fishers sailed out for the sea to catch fish after the expiry of the 58-day ban imposed by the government. He said two fishing trawlers, including one of him, returned to the ghat from the sea due to inclement weather on Tuesday morning. Upon arrival, the CG members reportedly charged Tk five lakh as extortion from the fishermen, he alleged. Despite showing authorised documents of the trawlers, the Coast Guard detained their trawlers, leading to arguments between the fishermen and the battalion members, he said. Bridge of Frustration: Design woes stall Barguna’s Sonakata Canal Project for four years Though Patharghata fisheries officials instructed the CG to release the trawlers after showing documents, they did not comply with it, Akan claimed. Around 10pm on Tuesday, the CG started damaging the detained trawlers after being refused to pay the extortion, he said, adding that they also beat two fishermen when they protested. The CG members fired 10 rounds of bullets in blanks when the tense broke out between them, the association’s leader said, forcing the fishermen to hurl brickbats for self-defence and vandalising a motorbike and a pickup van.   He said the two fishermen were injured and four others remained missing in this connection. Akan said, “I gave Tk one lakh to the Coast Guard officer before the Eid holiday. After the Eid holiday, they called me to their station again and demanded the list of trawlers. They are also demanding a large sum of money from this. He further stated that several payments have been made before this.” On information, Patharghata Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mohammad Mizanur Rahman visited the spot and talked to both parties. Joy rises with Hilsa in Barguna despite surging prices Officer-in-Charge of Patharghata police station Mohammad Mehedi Hasan said they requested both groups to remain calm. The UNO, Coast Guard and fisheries department expressed reluctance to comment over the matter.