The 15 fishermen released from an Iranian prison landed at the Chennai airport on Thursday night. They were arrested on October 22 last on charges of entering Iranian waters without permission. They reached Chennai by an Emirates flight from Dubai. Detailing their ordeal in Iran, one of the fishermen, Kennedy from Kanyakumari, said that they had suffered without proper food and water, and were kept on an island after a few days in jail. Social media and the press in India took up our matter with the two governments to resolve our crisis, he said. Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar said that 35 fishermen from Tamil Nadu were detained by the Iranian Navy for entering the country’s waters. The Chief Minister wrote to the Prime Minister on this issue, which expedited the release of the fishermen. Another five fishermen will reach Chennai in the next few days and efforts are on to release the remaining 15, he said. The fishermen were detained with their three boats in Bahrain. The fishermen were reportedly working for some Bahrainis. They hailed from Kanniyakumari, Tirunelveli and Ramanathapuram districts. The Migrant forum/ National Domestic Workers’ Movement (NDWM) and distraught family members sent continuous pleas to the State and Union governments seeking speedy action to release the fishermen from Iran. Food sneaked in The detained men were allegedly provided food by other Tamil fishermen who managed to slip in rice and other grains to them. However, they still went hungry on many days, they said. They were finally released on April 2 and reached Bahrain on April 3. The Indian Embassy in Bahrain issued a seven-day residency permit for them. NDWM/Migrant Forum approached the Indian community relief fund volunteers for aid and the latter responded immediately to help feed the fishermen. The Embassy in Bahrain issued return tickets. Another five fishermen will reach Chennai in the next few days, D. Jayakumar, Fisheries Minister.