21 Tamil fishermen stranded in Iran to be released

According to reports, 21 Tamil Nadu fishermen who were stranded in Iran have been found and are to be released soon. The fishermen will be sent back to Chennai in batches from August.

The effort came after Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami urged the Modi government to take a step into bringing back the 21 stranded fishermen. He had urged the PM to direct the Indian embassy in Iran to take the necessary steps.

The happy news was shared by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who tweeted, "I am happy to inform that 21 Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu who were stranded at Nakhitaghi (Iran) have been released with the efforts of Indian Embassy in Iran and our Consulate at Bandar Abbas."

The fishermen were reportedly engaged in fishing for more than six months on their employers' boats. However, they were not provided with a fair wage. Their request to leave for India was also denied by the employers.