New Delhi: Border Security Force (BSF) apprehended a minor Bangladeshi girl who was trying to enter India to save her life after being tortured in Bangladesh, sources said. On Tuesday night, the border guards arrested the minor from Fatepur BOP area of Chopra block in North Dinajpur and handed her over to the police of Chopra police station.
It is believed that the family of the minor girl, who hails from Panchagarh district of Bangladesh, is a devotee of ISKCON. She reportedly had been threatened to be thrown out of the house for being an ISKCON devotee. The minor was forced to flee to India when she found no way out. She had intended to go to a relative’s house in Belakoba, Jalpaiguri. The police took the phone number of her relatives in Belakoba from her and called them to Chopra police station at night.
Youth who swam to Raiganj caught
Earlier on Tuesday, the BSF caught a 21-year-old man when he entered India by swimming the Karatoya river to Rajganj. The man claimed he had been getting threatening calls since participating in a rally demanding the release of Iskcon monk Chinmoy Krishna Das.
Bangladesh has witnessed a massive crackdown on ISKCON in recent weeks. Chinmoy Krishna Das, a former member of ISKCON was denied bail in a sedition case and arrested. His arrest sparked protests, after which the Hindu minority -and specifically ISKCON devotees were targeted. Apart from Das, two more monks were also arrested by the Bangladesh police.
On Tuesday, Bangladesh confirmed 88 incidents of communal violence targeting minorities, mainly Hindus, after the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August, news agency PTI reported. Interim government head Muhammad Yunus’ press secretary, Shafiqul Alam revealed that as many as 70 people have been arrested in connection with the communal violence incidents.
This followed foreign secretary Vikram Misri voicing worry over the attacks on minorities and conveyed India’s concerns regarding their safety and welfare during meetings with Bangladeshi leadership in Dhaka.
