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47 Bangladeshi citizens have returned home after completing various jail terms in India.
They were handed over to Bangladesh immigration authorities at the Benapole-Petrapole border around 6:30pm on Thursday (September 10) through special travel permits.
The returnees include 43 men and four women, who are residents of different districts, including Satkhira, Narayanganj, Kishoreganj, Barishal, Chandpur, Narail and Barguna.
According to officials, the Bangladeshis were repatriated through a coordinated initiative involving the Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata and the West Bengal Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force.
The returnees had reportedly entered India illegally in search of work and were later kept in different shelter homes in Tamil Nadu, including those in Attur, Salem, Tiruchirappalli and Trichy.
After their citizenship was verified, special travel permits were issued to facilitate their return.
A delegation from the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata formally handed them over at the Benapole-Petrapole no-man’s land to representatives of the Sharsha upazila administration, the Department of Women and Children Affairs, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and local police.
Officials from BGB, the Border Security Force (BSF), Indian government agencies and representatives of local NGOs were also present at the border.
Among the returnees, 25 people, including one woman, were received by Rights Jessore; 12, including two women, by Justice and Care; and 10, including one woman, by the National Women Lawyers’ Association.
Touhiduzzaman, an investigation officer at Rights Jessore, told media that most of the returnees would be handed over to their families through a general diary (GD) at Benapole Port Police Station.
Those whose family members do not come to receive them will initially be accommodated at the organisation’s halfway shelter home before being reunited with their families.
Some of the returnees said they had crossed into Tamil Nadu illegally in search of employment. They reportedly worked in farms and brick kilns before being detained by local police. They were later sentenced to varying terms by Indian courts.
After completing their sentences, they expressed relief at finally being able to return home.
Saifur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Benapole Immigration, said the returnees were handed over to Benapole Port Police Station after completing immigration formalities.
He added that Rights Jessore, Justice and Care and the National Women Lawyers’ Association would receive them from the police station and take steps to reunite them with their families.