AHMEDABAD: The state government on Friday confirmed that 128 fishermen from Gujarat were lodged in jails in Pakistan as of January 20, 2026. Three of them have died in prison over the past two years.
The disclosure was made in the state Assembly by the fisheries minister in reply to a question from an Aam Aadmi Party MLA.
Of the three deaths, two were reported between January 21, 2024, and January 20, 2025. One more death was reported on January 20, 2026.
The latest fatality is linked to the widely reported case of Bhagabhai Bamaniya, a fisherman from Chikhli village in Una taluka of Junagadh district. His body was returned to Gujarat after he died in Karachi on January 16 following a sudden illness in jail.
The Assembly disclosure, the death, and a viral video have together intensified the debate. The video, circulating on social media, purportedly shows Bamaniya undergoing treatment on a hospital bed with iron shackles on his legs, triggering allegations of human rights violations and raising questions about custodial medical protocols abroad.
The case dates back nearly four years. Bamaniya was apprehended by Pakistani security agencies on February 18, 2022, along with his fishing boat, Burak (IND-GJ-11-MM-21), and lodged in a Karachi jail with other detained fishermen.
He later fell ill while in custody and was shifted to a hospital, where he succumbed during treatment—an episode that now underscores the wider crisis of prolonged detention of cross-border fishermen.
The Gujarat government informed the House that both the state and the Centre are engaged in correspondence and diplomatic communication with Pakistan, seeking the release and repatriation of detained fishermen. However, the figures placed on record highlight a persistent gap between diplomatic engagement and ground-level outcomes.
Parallel to diplomatic efforts, welfare provisions have also come under scrutiny. Social workers and representatives of the fishing community have pointed to a modest state assistance scheme that provides Rs 300 per month to families of imprisoned fishermen and Rs 9,000 annually for sustenance, subject to strict eligibility conditions. Families are denied benefits if the fisherman is caught more than once for maritime boundary violations, leaving the households of repeat detainees without state support.