Four Bangladeshi minor infiltrators repatriated
BALURGHAT: Four Bangladeshi minors were sent back to Bangladesh through Hili international check-post in presence of high-ranked government, Border Security Force and Border Guard Bangladesh officials on Thursday.
The minors (all boys) were detained by police and BSF while sneaking through the unfenced areas of India-Bangladesh border without proper documents and were sentenced to keep in juvenile home as per court's verdict.
"Three of them were kept in South Dinajpur's Subhayan while the one was sent to North Dinajpur's Kunor juvenile home. On Thursday, we had handed them over to the family members through Hili. Government officials of both countries, including the top ranked BSF and BGB officials were present till the whole process of repatriation was over," said Subhayan superintendent Dawa Darzi Sherpa.
According to a senior BSF official, the minor boys were booked both by BSF and police for not possessing the necessary documents. The minors were sent to stay here until the Bangladesh authorities trace their families and take them back. The process of repatriation, according to the BSF official, is long-drawn in the best of cases. "In some cases, the parents of the minors were also detained and imprisoned by Indian authorities for illegal penetration. Recently, we requested our Bangladeshi counterpart to trace their families in Bangladesh so that we can push them back. When immigrant families were detained, the parents were arrested and sent to judicial custody while children above the age of six were presented before a Child Welfare Committee and the Juvenile Justice Board before being sent to a shelter home away from their parents," the official said.
According to a source, Under Section 14 A of the Foreigners Act, 1946, any foreigner entering India or staying in India without valid documents can be jailed for a minimum of two years and up to a maximum of eight. Meanwhile, a team of delegates from Bangladesh Deputy High Commissioner-led by the minister (political) and head of chancery B M Jamal Hussein visited Subhayan on October 18 to gear up the process of repatriation. Notably, Subhayan has been running by a non-profitable organisation while 16 minors are residing there.
