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At least five law enforcement personnel were injured when fishermen attacked a team conducting a drive to protect mother hilsa in the Padma River in Shariatpur’s Jajira upazila on Monday morning.
The team, led by Saeed Ahmed, BNP lawmaker for Shariatpur-1 (Sadar and Jajira), detained 41 fishermen during the operation at Kolikal Char in Palerchar Union.
The fishermen allegedly hurled bricks and stones at members of the law enforcement agencies and the fisheries department. Some of them also attacked the team with sharp weapons and sticks, according to people involved in the operation.
Shariatpur District Fisheries Officer Biswajit Kumar Deb told media that 41 fishermen had been detained during the drive and would be brought to justice.
Jajira Police Station Officer-in-Charge Saleh Ahmed confirmed the incident, saying police personnel were at the scene and further details would be available after they returned.
According to the district fisheries office, the operation began near Shafi Kazi’s intersection in Bilaspur Union and continued for around four hours towards Palerchar. Authorities also seized around 200,000 metres of fishing nets used to catch hilsa, sources said.
The attack took place when the team reached Kolikal Char on the northern side of the river in Palerchar Union. More than 100 fishermen allegedly mobilised and attacked the team, prompting police and Coast Guard personnel to chase them. Several fishermen were surrounded on the river char.
Speaking to media, lawmaker Saeed Ahmed Aslam said evidence suggested that those catching mother hilsa in defiance of the ban were not registered fishermen.
He said he had joined the operation to help stop illegal fishing and that similar drives would continue to protect hilsa.
The fisheries department said hilsa was still being sold at at least 25 locations along riverbanks in Shariatpur despite the fishing ban, with buyers gathering throughout the day and night.
The ban on catching, selling, transporting and storing hilsa came into effect on October 8 and will remain in force until October 22. However, illegal fishing continues in parts of the Padma River in Jajira, Naria and Bhedarganj, officials said.
The department, local administration, police and Coast Guard have been conducting operations to enforce the restrictions.
On Sunday, BNP lawmaker Sheikh Farid Ahmed of Chandpur-3 (Sadar and Haimchar) also conducted a surprise patrol in the Meghna River to protect mother hilsa. He seized illegal current nets and boats and warned fishermen against taking to the river to catch fish.
Shariatpur has around 33,000 registered fishermen, including 28,929 who depend on catching and selling hilsa for their livelihoods.
Registered fishermen have received 25kg of rice each as food assistance during the 22-day fishing ban.
District Fisheries Officer Biswajit Kumar Deb said some fishermen were still violating the restrictions despite the assistance.
Over the past 10 days, authorities conducted 20 operations and sentenced 72 fishermen to varying terms of imprisonment for violating the ban, he added.