Five Indian nationals, who were released after serving jail for illegally entering Bangladesh with drugs, were sent back to Kurigram jail again, Kurigram district jail authorities announced Tuesday.
The five Indians are Alam Mia, son of Dudu Mia from Bengal’s Cooch Behar district, Md Nuruzzaman, son of Surut Mia from Dhubri district in Assam, Selim Mia, son of Nur Islam from Mainkarchar, Jahangir Alam, son of Amirul Islam, and Maha Alam Sheikh, son of Sanowar Hossain, Md Ismail Hossain, Superintendent of Kurigram jail.
The Indian Border Security Force (BSF) refused to receive them as none of them were able to produce any sort of document at all to prove their citizenship, said Kurigram jail superintendent Md Ismail Hossain.
The five Indian nationals were sent back to Kurigram jail from Burimari land port in Lalmonirhat district around 2:30 pm, he added.
Advocate SM Abraham Lincoln, convener of Border Victim Rescue Legal Assistance Forum, said the law enforcement agencies detained seven Indian nationals and handed them over to the court on charges of entering Bangladesh illegally with drugs.
Kurigram district jail authorities released the five Indian nationals this morning to hand them over to India’s Border Security Force and thus repatriate them.
However, two others — Akbar Ali and Golzar Ali from Dhubri district — will have to remain in prison as they didn’t receive clearance from the Indian government though their jail term expired on February 1, 2022, said Ismail Hossain.
“Those who were released had to spend an extra six months in jail after serving their sentences, which is a serious violation of human rights,” Advocate SM Abraham Lincoln said.
“There are many like them in jails of both the countries. The Indian and Bangladeshi governments should take initiatives to return the inmates immediately after the end of their jail terms,” he added.
Source: United News of Bangladesh