By Sumi Khan

Dhaka, Aug 30 (IANS): A court in India's Assam state has ordered release of 25 Bangladeshi nationals who have been languishing in jail since May for breaching terms and conditions of their visas, an activist said.

S.M. Abraham Lingkon, convener of the Bangladesh-India Border Victim Rescue Committee, said the development came following a request from Bangladesh.

A Dhubri court on Saturday dropped the charges against the 25 Bangladeshi nationals and ordered them to be released, Lingkon said quoting Bangladesh's Assistant High Commissioner in Guwahati, Tanvir Mansur.

Hailing from Kurigram's Chilmari upazila, they went to India on tourist visas but had been working as fishermen and farm workers.

On May 3, Indian police had arrested 26 Bangladeshi nationals from Dhubri when they were on their way home. They intended to enter Bangladesh through the Changrabandha check post.

Police filed a case against them alleging that they flouted visa conditions, by working though their visas do not allow them to do so. Since then, they have been in jail, and one of them also died there on July 1.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh authorities took the initiative to bring them home and requested India to release them. Responding to the request, the Indian authorities decided to withdraw the case against the 25 Bangladeshis.