After 10-months in Bangladesh Jail, Tripura farmers return home

After spending more than 10 months in a jail in Bangladesh, two Indian nationals from Tripura returned safely to their homeland on Sunday.

Rajib Debbarma and his cousin Gurupada are residents of Asharambari, a remote village in Tripura's Khowai district.

It was more than ten months that the brothers were lodged in Bangladesh's Moulvibazar jail. They were arrested from the international borders as "doubtful infiltrators".

However, Rajib and Gurupada's wish to return home was fulfilled on Sunday when both of them finally crossed over to Indian territory through Kailashahar, in Unakoti district.

The brother due was given a warm reception at the Indo-Bangla borders on their arrival.

Rajib and Gurupada were working at their agricultural field located just ahead of the barbed fencing just like another day but the fate was unusual for them.

Recalling the day, Rajib said some BGB (Border Guards of Bangladesh) troops reached their field and after a quick spell of interrogation arrested them. Later, they were shifted to Moulvibazar jail.

Rajib Debbarma expressed his gratitude towards the authorities of India and Bangladesh.

He said, "I am happy that we could come back home. We had got some clue a few months back that the embassy had initiated some process to bring us back to our homeland. We are really thankful to the state government as well as the central government."

As soon as the matter came to the notice of the Tripura government, the process to bring them back was initiated.

Union Minister State Pratima Bhoumik wrote a letter to the Ministry of External Affairs on August 24 last. Tripura Tribal Affairs Minister Mevar Kumar Jamatia also wrote to the Indian envoy to Bangladesh Vikram Doraiswamy for initiating the process for their release.

Finally both of them were released and on Sunday the Border Guards of Bangladesh handed them to the Indian authorities.

Tripura Tribal Welfare Minister Mevar Kumar Jamatia received the Indian nationals at Kailashahar borders while Moulvibazar MP Abdul Saed arrived with the Bangladesh border guards to repatriate them to their country.

Speaking over the issue, the Minister said, "I am grateful to the authorities of Bangladesh for bringing them back. They were under the custody of the Bangladesh government after being mistakenly arrested by the Border Guards of Bangladesh. I urge upon the authorities to make special provisions for the farmers who stay in the bordering areas. Most of them have their lands beyond the borders and thus it calls for special care from the bordering forces like BSF and BDR."

Sub-divisional Magistrate Kailashahar Shanti Ranjan Chakma, on the issue, said, "Two persons who are residents of Tripura's Khowai district have been brought back to Tripura through Kailashahar borders. They were arrested ten months back from the Indo-Bangla borders."

The borders witnessed an emotionally charged ambience as the relatives of both Rajib and Gurupada reached the borders to bring them back home. Locals of Kailashahar said the heartwarming reunion scene strengthened the long-standing camaraderie between India-Bangladesh.

( With inputs from ANI )

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