Raiganj: The Border Security Force (BSF) apprehended two elderly Bangladeshi nationals from two different border areas in Kaliyaganj, North Dinajpur district on charges of illegal entry into India. The women, identified as Adho Barman (87) from Saithia, Thakurgaon district, Bangladesh and Kanju Bala (75) from Sidhalur, Dinajpur district in Bangladesh, were presented before the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s court in Raiganj on Thursday. They have been remanded to 14 days of judicial custody.
Adho Barman was caught while trying to cross the barbed wire fencing at the Radhikapur Border Out Post on Wednesday evening. Kanju Bala, on the other hand, was apprehended while attempting to cross the fencing with a group of women using wooden planks near Chandgaon BOP in Kaliyaganj, also on Wednesday evening. When Kanju was detained, others managed to flee back into Bangladesh. The incident highlights the challenges faced by vulnerable individuals in border areas amidst fear and unrest.
Adho Barman’s son, Surendra Barman, a long-time resident of Kaliyaganj, explained the circumstances leading to her escape. He stated: “My mother was living in Thakurgaon with my sisters. Recently, she shared her fears over a social media messenger service about religious fanatics shouting slogans like ‘Delhi jar Mama Bari Desh Chharo Tara Tari’ and setting houses on fire near her residence. Scared for her life, she fled to India. She had to walk along vast tracts of corn fields, cross irrigation trenches under the cover of darkness. She has expressed wish never to return to Bangladesh and said she wants to spend her final days here.” Kanju Bala reportedly has relatives in South Dinajpur and was trying to visit them.
In another development, hotels and resorts in Alipurduar have banned Bangladeshi nationals, following similar actions in Malda and Siliguri. The decision was announced by the Alipurduar District Hotel and Resort Association and the Alipurduar Town Hotel Owners Welfare Association at a press conference on Friday.
“This restriction will remain until Bangladesh demonstrates respectful actions,” stated the associations.