The son of a 92-year-old woman, who was nabbed by the Border Security Force (BSF) last Wednesday for trying to infiltrate India, has sent letters to governor C.V. Ananda Bose and chief minister Mamata Banerjee, seeking her release on humanitarian grounds.
Surendra Barman, who is associated with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), said Adho Barman, his mother, has landed in the correctional home in Raiganj.
The 92-year-old woman is spending days amid great inconvenience, he added.
Surendra resides in Mithbari, a village under Hemtabad block of the North Dinajpur district.
He said that around five months back, his sister, who stays in Bangladesh, fell sick.
“As my mother got the information, she became restless and wanted to see her daughter. As she didn’t have a passport, she contacted some people and managed to get into Bangladesh through the border,” said the son.
Adho was staying with her daughter since then
But after the downfall of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5, which led to political turmoil and unrest in the neighbouring country, she thought of returning to her son’s place in North Dinajpur.
“My mother got anxious as some people torched the paddy stored in my sister’s place and threatened them with dire consequences. Around 10 days back, my sister called me and said that she was sending our mother back to India,” narrated Surendra.
Last Wednesday, Surendra got a phone call from an unknown number. He was told that Adho had been nabbed by the BSF at the India-Bangladesh border in Kaliaganj of North Dinajpur.
She was handed over to the police and produced at a local court in Raiganj. The court heard the case and ordered judicial custody for her.
“My mother is upset and is facing inconvenience at the correctional home. As we are Iskcon devotees, she has not eaten the food provided there. The authorities there have made arrangements so that she can cook. However, as she is 92 years old, she cannot do it. I don’t know how long she will live and have thus written to the governor and the chief minister, requesting them to see that she is released on humanitarian grounds,” he said.
Surendra said that Adho is from Maharaja in Raiganj block of North Dinajpur, but got married in east Pakistan (not Bangladesh then).
“Our (paternal) ancestral house is at Deoja-Gossainpur village in Dinajpur district of Bangladesh. In 1999, I and my brother moved to India. My brother stays in Kaliaganj. In 2005, we brought our mother here. However, because of her age and lack of proper documents, we could not make her Indian passport,” admitted Surendra.