As many as 225 people, including children and women, were held by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) on the charge of trespassing into the country from India.
The BGB personnel of 58 Battalion detained the 225 infiltrators who had entered Bangladesh territory through Jhenidah frontier. They entered Bangladesh to avoid eviction and arrest by the law enforcers when the NRC was effective in the neighboring country. The detainees claimed they fled from India fearing harassment and detention by the police there.
The detained men, women and children including some gypsy were handed over to Moheshpur thana police on Saturday morning. Later, they were sent to the court as the administration filed case against them for their alleged entry in Bangladesh without passport or any valid documents.
Lieutenant Colonel Qamrul Ahsan, Battalion Director of the BGB at Khalishpur in Jhenidah, said that huge people have started entering Bangladesh territory from bordering areas when the neighboring country have been executing NRC at some areas.
80 per cent of women including 20 children were in the list of detainees. To check the illegal entry through the bordering areas, local administration had formed committee in the nearing villages closed to the border.
When contacted, some of the detained said most of the detained are Muslims who were the sufferers due to imposing of NRC in India. They left their houses and belongings when the policemen and BJP activists have warned them to leave the country as they do not have valid citizenship in India.
To enter in to Bangladesh territory, each of the family consisting of three to five members had paid an amount of Taka 75 thousand to one lakh to the brokers for entry in Bangladesh.
BGB director said about 225 persons rushed through Moheshpur bordering areas in las few days. They were informed that the people leaving India following NRC by the present government against illegal immigration in the said country. Probably they feel Moheshpur bordering areas safe and rushing in smaller group through Nadia of West Bengal in India.
Nasima Khatun, a ward member of bordering Kazirber union parishad of Moheshpur when contacted, said the people have been rushing at the bordering area handing about Taka about one lakh to the brokers who have been bringing them near the bordering area. But she (Nasima) could not see any local resident near the closed borders in India.
A resident of the locality requested not to be named, said that the detained women had informed her that most of the women went to India in search of good job and engaged themselves in unethical sex trade finding no other alternative. Now they are returning with the family members “empty-hand”.
BGB official said although the detained have been claiming themselves as Bangladeshi citizens, could not show any valid papers and the BGB men were compelled to hand over them to Moheshpur thana police for legal steps.
Moheshpur police station office in chare Rashedul Alam said the arrested identified themselves as the residents of Sharankhola and Morelganj upazila and some other parts of Bagerhat. A number of gypsy people joined with them, they said.
Acting Upazila nirbahi officer (UO) Sujan Kumar said as per the suggestions of the BGB authorities, they have formed committees in the bordering villages to check the illegal entry from neighboring country.
