Over 300 people of Kurigram, who were arrested by Border Security Force of India while crossing border illegally, cannot come back to Bangladesh even after ending of their jail tenure for lack of required documents.
“I have not been seen my son for more than two years. His father has already died and I may die any day. If paper is sent from Bangladesh part he will be released. Please, bring my son back.” said Zamila, mother of Monju who has been serving jail in an Indian jail for the last two years.
She alleged that his son was not interested but, an Indian man had persuaded her son to go the neighbouring country.
According to local sources, most of these Bangladesh are serving imprisonment in Cooch Behar, Dinhata, Jalpaiguri, Siliguri, Berhampur and Balurghat jails of West Bengal.
Most of the imprisoned people are from Phulbari, Nagessori, Bhurungamari upazila of the Kurigram.
People of these upazilas usually do not have any work after Aman and Boro harvest. During this lean period, many day labourers of these upazilas go to India with the help of agents, who are mostly Indian citizens with a hope to manage a job so that they can earn bread and butter for their families.
Some of the labourers can successfully cross border, but unfortunately, most of them are arrested by BSF as they do not have legal documents to produce before the border guard.
Family members of these prisoners alleged that ‘line men’ (persons who help the day labourers to cross the border) inform BSF to arrest the day labourers when the labourer fail to give them the money which the agents demand.
There is also an allegation that BSF do not spare women and harass them while crossing the border.
Some imprisoned people returned in the last one year. Of them, Alef Ali of Anantapur border, returned one and half months ago.
BSF arrested him by the help of Indian people while he was crossing Khatamari border of Bhurungamari.
After the arrest he was sentenced to 25 months of imprisonment after 10 months trial. Alef Ali said: “I had to stay there even after the finishing of jail-term as I did not have required papers to come back to the country.”
AKM Mostafizur Rahman, lawmaker of Kurigram-constituency, said the process to bring the imprisoned Bangladeshi back was going on. He also said the process is for whom those who have already finished punishment duration in jails.