As many as 33 fishermen from Tamil Nadu and two from Gujarat who were arrested by the Iranian Navy on the charge of poaching have been released, according to M. Karunamurthy, district secretary of the CITU-affiliated Tamil Nadu Meenpidi Thozhirsanga Kootamaippu. Mr. Karunamurthy, who was involved in the efforts to secure the release of the fishermen, told The Hindu that Balamurugan, a fisherman from Ramanathapuram who was among those arrested, contacted him on Sunday morning and informed him about the release of all 35 fishermen, along with their fishing vessels. Quoting Mr. Balamurugan, Mr. Krishnamurthy said that following their release, the fishermen, who had been held in Kish Island in Iran, set sail to Dubai on their vessels. After they reach Dubai on Monday morning, they are expected to be flown back to India within a week, he said, adding that the Iranian authorities detained them on the island despite their employer having paid a penalty three months ago. Though the Kootamaippu had been fighting to secure the fishermen’s release since January, they were freed only after he led a delegation of their family members to meet Fisheries Secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi in Chennai on May 16, Mr. Krishnamurthy noted. The fishermen were released thanks to the efforts made by Mr. Singh after hearing about their plight, he said. He requested the Centre and the State governments to alert the Consulate General of India in Dubai and the Embassy of India in Tehran to facilitate the early repatriation of the fishermen. He also appealed to the State governments concerned to provide welfare assistance to the affected fishermen to sustain their livelihood.