1 out of 10 Bangladeshis caught by BSF handed over to BGB as ‘goodwill gesture’ | Kolkata - Hindustan Times
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1 out of 10 Bangladeshis caught by BSF handed over to BGB as ‘goodwill gesture’

Oct 18, 2022 01:47 PM IST

Every year, BSF hand over a few hundred men and women, who are intercepted along the India-Bangladesh international border, to the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) without arresting them

On September 15 this year, patrolling troops of the Border Security Force (BSF) intercepted at least 19 Bangladeshi nationals, including 13 women, along the international border in West Bengal. Interrogation revealed that all of them had illegally come to India on different occasions. Some of them were returning home in Bangladesh, while the rest were returning to India for work. They mostly worked as wage labourers and rag pickers in various cities including Delhi and Mumbai. Unlike the normal practice, they were not arrested and handed over to the police by the border guarding agency. Instead, they were handed over to the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) as a “goodwill gesture”, said a top BSF official.

Around 11,750 people were intercepted by BSF in south Bengal along the Indo-Bangla border between 2017 and 2022. (Representative Image/HT Photo)
Around 11,750 people were intercepted by BSF in south Bengal along the Indo-Bangla border between 2017 and 2022. (Representative Image/HT Photo)

This is, however, not a stray incident along the Indo-Bangladesh border in West Bengal, which is considered to be one of the most porous borders in any state in India.

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Just two days later, on September 17, BSF troops apprehended three Bangladeshi nationals, including a six-year-old girl while they were trying to enter India through North 24 Parganas, a district adjacent to Kolkata. BSF learnt that while 28-year-old Rabina Akbar was going to Delhi for work, 32-year-old Rehana Mondol revealed that she along with her daughter was coming to India for treatment. All three were handed over to BGB.

Again on September 18, BSF handed over seven Bangladeshi fishermen, who had entered the Indian waters in Murshidabad district, to BGB.

Every year, a few hundred such men and women, who are intercepted along the international border, are handed over to BGB without arresting them. Data shared by BSF’s South Bengal Frontier revealed that around 11,750 people were intercepted by BSF in south Bengal along the Indo-Bangla border between 2017 and 2022 (till October 12). Out if this, at least 1,178 were not arrested. They were all handed over to BGB.

The trend shows that while 378 persons were returned to BGB in 2017 by BSF’s South Bengal Frontier, the number came down to 297 in 2018. In 2019 it dropped further to 22. But since then there has been an upward trend. In 2020, at least 51 persons were handed over to BGB. Last year, the number shot up to 135 and this year till October it has touched 295. BSF officials said that by the end of this year the number is expected to cross 300, the highest since 2017.

“It all depends on the policy of the Union home ministry. Earlier, (around 2017) the centre had a rather softer stand and hence more people were handed over to BGB. But later the centre changed its approach and took a stricter stand following which more people were arrested and a fewer were handed over to BGB. Over the past three to four years, again the centre took a lenient stand so that people with no criminal records are not arrested,” said a senior BSF official who did not want to be named.

The Indo-Bangladesh border in West Bengal is the longest international border in any state across the country. Out of the 4,096.7 km long Indo-Bangla border, West Bengal alone shares 2,216 km with the neighbouring country. It is also the most porous border in the country. In south Bengal, the border is more than 900 km long, out which nearly 60% is riverine.

A former BSF officer, who has served in the South Bengal Frontier, said that the numbers also depend on the attitude of BGB towards accepting their own nationals.

“Even though India and Bangladesh share a very cordial relation it may happen sometimes that the border guarding agency of the neighbouring country may not be ready to accept a person who was caught in India while crossing over. But now-a-days with the advent of smart phones and its reach, it has become easier to prove the identity of the apprehended person. Soon after a person is apprehended his family members, relatives and neighbours are contacted and they are asked to send his identity proofs,” said the former senior BSF officer.

In north Bengal, however, the data shows a somewhat different trend. While the number of persons apprehended by the North Bengal Frontier dropped from 368 to 95 between 2018 and 2020, the number of people handed over to BGB rose from 20 to 38 during the same period. Even though between 2020 and 2022 the number of people apprehended shot up from 95 to 186, the number of people handed over to BGB dropped from 38 to 16.

“BSF, over the past few years, is showing a more humane and softer attitude when it comes to dealing with people who do not have any criminal antecedents. Such cases are rising as BSF has been handed over more territory. They now have to deal with more villagers who reside at least 50 km inland. Hence they need to keep in mind the socio-economic condition of the villagers to deal with them more effectively. Several people, caught along this porous border, have their relatives living in Indian bordering villages,” said Sambhu Nanda, project manager of Partners for Anti-trafficking, a network of NGOs and collective of trafficking survivors.

This goodwill gesture of BSF has also had a positive impact on the already overburdened jails in West Bengal.

The National Crime Records Bureau’s Prison Statistics of India-2021 shows there were 5,565 foreign inmates lodged in the country’s correctional homes till the end of 2021. West Bengal has the highest number of foreign convict and foreign undertrials lodged in its correctional homes.

At least 329 foreign convicts and 1,170 undertrials are lodged in West Bengal. Among the foreign undertrials and convicts the highest were from Bangladesh. There were 505 convicts and 1,735 Bangladeshi undertrals lodged in Indian jails.

“The police get involved only when BSF hands over a person caught along the border. If BSF hands over any person, apprehended along the border, to BGB it is none of our concern. But if that number is rising it would definitely not increase the burden on our jails which are already full,” said a senior police official who did not want to be named.

Senior BSF officials said that even though the overburdened prisons is definitely a matter of concern, it is not a matter of compulsion when it comes to handing over people to BGB as a goodwill gesture.

“Arresting a person, producing him before the court, preparing documents, following up the case and investigation require a lot of effort. Sometimes it is also easier to just push back the people apprehended across the border either with the help of BGB or without their help,” said Nanda.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Joydeep Thakur is a Special Correspondent based in Kolkata. He focuses on science, environment, wildlife, agriculture and other related issues.

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