Author: Sankirtan Das
Publication: Hinduexistence.org
Date: Sept 14, 2024
URL:    https://hinduexistence.org/2024/09/15/fleeing-persecution-finding-prison-the-uncertain-fate-of-bangladeshi-hindus-in-india/

Forced to Flee: Bangladeshi Hindu Victims Seek Refuge in India, Cite Islamic Persecution, Find Prison.

Police conducted a raid in the Dattapulia area, arresting 10 Bangladeshi nationals, including a minor. The group consisted of six men and three women, who were subsequently remanded to the Ranaghat court. Similar incidents were reported in Kaliaganj and Raninagar. However, a more pressing concern remains: what is the exact number of displaced Bangladeshi Hindus currently detained in Indian jails?

On Thursday (Sept 12, 2024), 10 Bangladeshi citizens, including a minor, arrested by the Dhantala police from Dattapulia, made a startling claim – they were fleeing persecution in Bangladesh, where their homes were being destroyed. The arrest was made after the Dhantala police station received a tip-off on Wednesday night from secret sources, indicating that several Bangladeshi nationals who had entered India illegally were hiding in the Dattapulia area.

Acting on the information, the Dhantala police conducted a raid in the Dattapulia area and apprehended 10 Bangladeshi nationals, including a child. The arrested individuals comprised six men, three women, and one minor.

On Thursday, the Dhantala police produced the arrested individuals before the Ranaghat court, which remanded them to judicial custody. The incident highlights the plight of Bangladeshi nationals seeking refuge in India, allegedly due to persecution in their home country.

The situation in Bangladesh is deteriorating rapidly, leaving minority Hindus in a state of constant anxiety. In a recent development, the Yunus government issued a fatwa on Durga Puja celebrations, imposing restrictions on the playing of drums during Azaan and Namaz times at puja mandaps (pandals).

This latest move has added to the growing sense of unease among Hindus in Bangladesh, who have already been facing increased hostility. Recently, the homes of renowned Bengali personalities, including filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak and writer Sunil Gangopadhyay, were vandalized, further exacerbating the climate of fear and intimidation.

Controversial Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen has expressed concerns about her continued stay in India. Having lived in Delhi since 2011, her anxiety stems from the expiration of her visa on July 27. The uncertainty surrounding its renewal has left her worried. In a recent press statement, Taslima emphasized her desire to remain in India, saying, ‘I wish to live in India.’ However, nearly a month and a half have passed without any response from the central government regarding her visa extension. Accordingly, Taslima Nasreen, who has faced exile and threats for her writings, is growing increasingly anxious about her future in the country.

Contrary to initial reports, Sunil Gangopadhyay’s house was not demolished, but rather temporarily occupied by local supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). However, in a subsequent development, the house was reportedly recovered from the BNP’s possession.

In an earlier incident, Nine Bangladeshi nationals were arrested by Kaliaganj police on August 30, 2024, for illegally entering India through Uttar Dinajpur’s Kaliaganj block. The group included three women and one child, detained from Radhikapur and Anantapur villages in Indo-Bangladesh border.

Nine residents of Dinajpur district, Bangladesh, were arrested by Kaliaganj police on Friday for crossing the border illegally. Five individuals, including a child, were found taking shelter in Radhikapur, while four others were discovered in Anantapur. Acting on a tip-off, police raided two homes in the areas and apprehended the intruders. However, the homeowners had fled before the authorities arrived.

Kaliaganj Police Station IC Debbrat Mukhopadhyay confirmed that the nine individuals were being questioned at the police station. In a surprising turn of events, sources revealed that the detained persons were released by the police due to pressure from the local Hindu community.

The volatile situation in Bangladesh remains unresolved, with an interim government in place. Even prior to its establishment, numerous individuals attempted to cross the border, but were persuaded to return by the Border Security Force (BSF). Nevertheless, the recent events suggest a continued influx of people crossing the border. On Thursday, August 29, 2024, another incident occurred, resulting in the death of a Bangladeshi national at the border.

Why the Hindus are fleeing from Bangladesh? A Bangladeshi woman, recently detained by authorities, revealed the dire circumstances driving Hindus to flee Bangladesh. ‘I lived in constant fear,’ she confessed to the media. ‘I came to India with my husband and three-year-old son, hoping to find work and survive.’ However, her dreams were shattered after being apprehended by police. Another detainee echoed similar sentiments, stating, ‘I fled Bangladesh due to the alarming situation. I was terrified and sought refuge in India.’ These testimonies underscore the growing desperation and fear among Bangladesh’s Hindu minority, compelling them to seek asylum in neighboring India.”

Despite the Border Security Force’s (BSF) claims of strict surveillance, the repeated crossing of Bangladeshi nationals into India has raised questions about the effectiveness of border security. Contrary to its stated intentions, the BSF has been denying entry to Hindu refugees fleeing anti-Hindu persecution in Bangladesh. Furthermore, immigration offices along the Indian border have been stamping Bangladeshi Hindus’ passports with ‘ENTRY REFUSED Due to Immigration Reasons’, effectively blocking their asylum bids.

Reports indicate a significant increase in Hindu Bangladeshis attempting to cross into India through the Rajshahi border. In recent days, there has been a notable rise in movement across the Jalangi and Raninagar border in Murshidabad. On Thursday night (August 29, 2024), a young man from Rajshahi was apprehended at the Raninagar border. A resident of Natore, Rajshahi, he claimed to have been fleeing severe torture. The Border Security Force (BSF) handed him over to Raninagar police. On Friday (August 30, 2024), the accused was produced before the Lalbagh Court, which ordered his judicial custody.

Preliminary investigation by BSF officials revealed that the arrested youth’s house and shop were looted in Rajshahi’s Natore area, forcing him to flee to India out of fear. He is not alone in his ordeal, as at least 40 other Hindu families in the area faced similar torture, prompting them to abandon their homes and seek refuge elsewhere. These families, too, are planning to escape Bangladesh due to the dire circumstances. The BSF has handed over the intruder to the Raninagar police station for further action.

A Raninagar police officer confirmed that the arrested youth was charged under the Foreigners Act and remanded to judicial custody. Interrogation revealed he fled Bangladesh due to rampant lawlessness, joining many others hiding in fear. Hindu villages in Rajshahi face looting, occupation, and market plundering, forcing families to abandon their homes and seek refuge elsewhere.

In response to the ongoing turmoil in Bangladesh, the Border Security Force (BSF) has heightened its presence along the border. Police stations in border areas are on high alert, with BSF and police officials conducting village-to-village outreach programs to deter intruders. To enhance community involvement, the BSF has organized meetings in border villages, urging residents to report any suspicious individuals or new faces. Locals are instructed to contact the nearest BSF camp or police station if they encounter any unfamiliar persons.

Due to the absence of barbed wire in many areas, the BSF has intensified surveillance efforts. A two-hourly speedboat patrol on the Padma water border is being conducted to bolster security. However, the open border and nighttime darkness enable some individuals to attempt crossing, often fleeing persecution. Border guards are concerned about this vulnerability.

A BSF officer assured, ‘We maintain a 24/7 strict vigil on the border, and no trespassers will be allowed to breach it.’ Local villagers have also been alerted to prevent any potential collaboration with intruders from the other side.

On August 7-8, around 1,000 Bangladeshi nationals, mostly Hindus, gathered at the Sitalkuchi fenced land border area of Cooch Behar district in West Bengal. The Border Security Force (BSF) managed to stop them at a distance of 150 yards from the border. But, many of them entered into India by porous Indo-Bangladesh Borders later and reportedly arrested by police and sent them Jail custody by subsequent court orders.

The exact number of Bangladeshi Hindus apprehended by local police, with the assistance of border security personnel, remains unclear. It is also unknown how many Hindu victims have been placed in judicial custody by Courts or forcibly repatriated to Bangladesh, leaving their fate uncertain.
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