Kishanganj: Amid escalating atrocities on minorities in Bangladesh, a 17-year-old Hindu girl entered India using a water pipe beneath the barbed wire fence along the India-Bangladesh border in Uttar Dinajpur district of West Bengal.
Police officials on Wednesday said the girl, a resident of Panchgarh district in Bangladesh, was detained after the soldiers from the 17th battalion of the BSF apprehended her near the Laxmipur Border Outpost (BOP).
Following her detention, the BSF handed the girl over to the police at Chopra police station. She was later sent to the Raiganj Home in North Dinajpur district. Authorities have initiated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her border crossing.
"We are in touch with some of her relatives in Jalpaiguri district," a police officer said. "She told us she crossed the border on foot. The BSF stopped her near the Fathpur border outpost in Chopra block. We are investigating whether she came alone or if someone accompanied her," he said.
The girl's relatives in India claim that she is an Iskcon devotee who fled Bangladesh to escape persecution.
"The condition of Hindus in Bangladesh is pathetic. Iskcon devotees and Hindus are being tortured constantly. The girl has a valid passport and has visited India before for eye treatment. This time, she couldn't get a visa due to the current situation. If she had stayed in Bangladesh, she might have been killed," one of her relatives said.
The minor is also known in Bangladesh for her singing talent and has also performed in India previously, the relative said, adding she was being harassed and targeted for her religious beliefs. "She was being harassed and even faced attempts of kidnapping. To save her life, she fled to India. Her eyes needed medical attention, and she came on a doctor's advice," the relative added.
Reacting to the incident, ISKCON Kolkata Vice President Radharamn Das requested Union Minister Amit Shah to intervene in the matter. Taking to X, Radharamn Das said, "How can we, as a nation, ignore such a plea for help? How can we turn away a vulnerable child seeking safety and love?
It is heartbreaking and deeply distressing to learn about a minor girl from Bangladesh who, in sheer desperation, tried to cross into India alone, only to be arrested by the BSF and thrown into juvenile custody.
— Radharamn Das राधारमण दास (@RadharamnDas) December 11, 2024
Her parents, both gravely ill, urged her to cross over to India… pic.twitter.com/3ZKnoA7yub
"Her parents, both gravely ill, urged her to cross over to India because of the conditions in Bangladesh and their fear for her safety," he added. Authorities said that they are now taking legal steps to reunite the minor girl with her relatives while continuing their probe into her border crossing.
The incident comes amidst the controversial arrest of former ISKCON priest Chinmay Krishna Das in Bangladesh on treason charges. Das was arrested at Dhaka airport on November 25 and has since been denied bail multiple times, with the latest rejection on December 12.
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