A seventeen-year-old Hindu girl from Bangladesh escaped overnight to the Indian border, where border security officials detained her and handed her over to the West Bengal Police. She had to flee because she was an ISKCON devotee.
He said his family has been facing threats for the past several weeks because they belong to the minority community, but the situation went out of control when fundamentalists in Bangladesh threatened to kidnap him and kill the rest of his family. Gave. That’s when he decided to flee his country.
With no certainty as to how long it would take for him to legally escape to India, he decided to run to the border and cross it on foot. That’s exactly what he did, but the Border Security Force or BSF caught him and sent him to police custody, where he told the story of his escape.
According to the police, the girl had crossed the border illegally from North Dinajpur district of West Bengal. She claimed that some of her relatives lived in India and apparently she was heading towards their residence.
Although she has given her statement narrating her ordeal, the police want to be sure and not just take things at face value. They are now investigating the matter and also want to find out if anyone had helped him find a way to cross the border.
“The girl has some relatives in Jalpaiguri district. We have contacted them,” the investigating officer said. “We are trying to find out who helped him cross the border,” he said.
“The girl is a resident of Panchgarh district of Bangladesh. She had crossed the border on foot but was spotted by BSF troops near Fatehpur border outpost in Chopra block of North Dinajpur,” the police officer said.
Speaking to news agency Press Trust of India, an Indian relative of the teenage girl said, “She and her family are devotees of ISKCON. The fundamentalists had threatened to kidnap her and kill the rest of the family. They Were planning to send him here.” For her safety) She was planning to come to India, but we had no confirmation about the date.
The relative also said that the girl’s father is a medical representative in Bangladesh and has been ill for a long time.
Incidents of communal violence are on the rise across Bangladesh and Hindu minority people are being targeted and very little action is being taken by the administration. ISKCON devotees are the latest targets since the arrest of Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Das in Dhaka on November 25. There have been incidents of mob violence and vandalism of property targeting the minority community. Temples have also been defaced.
Protestors from the minority community have also faced police action and lathi charge. They were protesting against the arrest of the Hindu priest, who is still in custody and facing trial in a Bangladeshi court.
Coming forward to help the teenage girl who had fled to India, ISKCON Kolkata Vice President Radharaman Das has requested Home Minister Amit Shah to intervene in the matter.
Mr Das said in a post on And put in juvenile detention.” ,
It is heartbreaking and extremely distressing to know about a minor girl from Bangladesh who, in extreme desperation, tried to cross into India alone, but was arrested by the BSF and put in juvenile detention.
His parents, both seriously ill, urged him to come to India… pic.twitter.com/3ZKnoA7yub
– Radharaman Das Radharaman Das (@RadharamnDas) 11 December 2024
“Her parents, who were both seriously ill, urged her to come to India because of the conditions in Bangladesh and fear for her safety. They had the option of risking their daughter’s life in the hope of finding refuge with their relatives in India. There was no other option.” he adds.
“How can we, as a nation, ignore such an appeal for help? How can we turn away a vulnerable child looking for safety and love? I humbly and urgently request @HMOIndia I pray that she intervenes with compassion and humanity, and allows this innocent girl to live and be with her relatives,” Mr Das wrote.
(Inputs from PTI)
