Bangladeshi nationals return in large numbers via Hakimpur border checkpost as SIR fears rise

Habiul Biswas and his wife Sajda Biswas quietly step down from a vehicle and walk towards a row of closed shops near Hakimpur border checkpost in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district.

The check post, a couple of kilometres from the zero line, is heavily guarded by Border Security Force (BSF) personnel and monitored by surveillance cameras. Every villager — whether on foot, by bicycle or by motorbike — is frisked before being allowed through. 

Polythene sheets have been laid out in front of the closed shops, and just a couple of hours ago, a group of 20 to 30 Bangladesh nationals had assembled at the spot just before crossing the border checkpost towards the international border. 

In their thirties, the couple goes to the same spot where the earlier group of Bangladeshi nationals had assembled. They claim to have entered India from Bangladesh about six years ago. “First, we went to Delhi. Then we stayed at Duttapukur near Kolkata. We used to collect old newspapers and other articles from people’s homes,” says Mr. Habiul.

“We have left our minor daughter in India,” Ms. Sajda adds, saying it is heartbreaking to leave her behind. Their daughter and her husband work at a brick kiln near Barasat, and the couple must clear their debts with their employers before they are allowed to leave, she says. 

“We are poor and do not have proper identity documents. We cannot stay here any longer. What if they put us in prison?” Mr. Habiul says. When asked why he is going back to Bangladesh, the 36-year-old, who claims to be a resident of Khulna in the neighbouring country, says he had watched videos of people returning through this border point and decided to come here and follow the same route. 

Just a few hours before the couple arrived, the BSF personnel had asked a group of 20 men and women, along with their children, to cross the checkpost and wait. Minutes later, they were told to get into a BSF vehicle, which would take them to the zero line along the India-Bangladesh border. BSF personnel deployed at the check post said that before any group of Bangladeshi nationals is “pushed back”, a flag meeting is conducted with officials of Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB). 

Mostafa Sardar, a resident of Hakimpur, says Bangladeshi nationals had started arriving in large numbers since November 17. He says since habitation extends well beyond the BSF check post, almost to the zero line, people are frisked at the border outpost and every article they buy is checked.

Mr. Habiul and Mr. Sajda finish their lunch they had brought with them, and are soon joined by Kohinoor, another Bangladeshi national. Ms. Kohinoor, who claims she had been working in Bengaluru for almost a year, says that she used to work in hotels across the city, making just enough to get by. “We cannot stay any longer here,” she says, adding supporters of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have been visiting hotels in Bengaluru and telling them not to employ anyone speaking in Bengali.

Ms. Kohinoor says that even though there is a Congress government in Karnataka, BJP supporters are not allowing those who speak Bengali to stay there. A local youth, who was listening to the conversation, retorts to Ms. Kohinoor. “Since, you know so much about the politics of the country, why are you going back, you should remain here,” he scoffs. 

Mobarrak Gazi (66), who had been among the group of about 20 men and women earlier in the day, says that he had come to West Bengal after cyclone Aila destroyed his home in Bangladesh in the summer of 2009. Mr. Gazi says he used to work at Bally in Howrah district. 

All the Bangladeshi nationals gathering at Hakimpur to cross over to Bangladesh say they watched videos of people returning from this spot. Many express fears of getting arrested and put in prison due to the ongoing SIR (Special Intensive Revision), prompting them to return. 

Hakimpur residents say it costs about ₹5,000 or more per person to cross the border illegally. But, the BSF is now facilitating their return. “There is no money involved and there are no risks,” they say, trying to explain the sudden surge of Bangladeshi nationals returning from this particular spot.