Nine Bangladeshis Stranded in No-Man’s Land for 36 Hours
Photo: Agamir Somoy
Nine Bangladeshis pushed into the border through two frontier points in Roumari Upazila have remained stranded in no-man’s land for 36 hours. They have been living in inhumane conditions amid storms and rain. Although the incident has created tension along the border, flag meetings between the BGB and BSF have yet to produce any solution.
Sources said that at around 5:00 a.m. on June 14, the BSF brought a total of nine people to the border and left them there in two groups through the Goytapara and Mankarchar border areas of Roumari. Of them, six were pushed in through the Goytapara border and three through the Mankarchar border.
After the push-in, members of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) spotted them staying in no-man’s land. The BGB and local residents later took precautionary positions and strengthened security measures.
Sources said that among the six people stranded at the Goytapara border are Billal Hossain, son of Abdur Rouf of Bongsherkul village in Bhaluka Upazila of Mymensingh District; Shabbir Hossain, son of Liton Mia of the same village; Himel, son of the late Shamsul Haque; Billal Hossain’s wife Sumi Akter; and their two daughters, Fatema and Fahima.
Meanwhile, the three people stranded at the Mankarchar border are Jahirul Islam, 26, a resident of Tahirpur Upazila in Sunamganj District, and Parvez, 21, from Barhatta Upazila in Netrokona District. Local sources also said that three more individuals, including Naim, 22, of Kawsia village in Haluaghat Upazila, are staying in that border area.
Local residents said the stranded individuals have been enduring severe hardship after remaining in no-man’s land under the open sky for several days. The condition of the women and children is particularly distressing.
Although the BGB has contacted the BSF several times and held multiple flag meetings over the matter, the Indian border force has yet to take them back or reach any permanent solution. The BGB remains on maximum alert to maintain normalcy in the border area.
