SILCHAR, Oct 13 - At a time when the government is putting special emphasis to strengthen the border outposts across the Indo-Bangla international border with floodlights, barbed fencing wires and other technological applications, the access of citizens from Bangladesh remains unabated.
Although many of the illegally entered citizens remain scot-free, the security forces had been able to nab at least 10 such intruders and put them in the Silchar Central Jail detention camp. However, even as such people are apprehended and sent to the detention camps, the tendency to cross the border remains as it is a very easy thing to do.
Archana Biswas, a resident of Jakiganj in Bangladesh, had come to India with her minor kids and was sent to the detention camp on September 13, 2014. Anowar Hussain and Burhan Uddin were in the camp since November 12, 2013 and April 12, 2015, respectively.
On the sidelines of their deportation from the camp on Thursday following the diplomatic move between the governments of India and Bangladesh, Burhan, Archana, Anowar and others spoke on how they entered India.
Burhan Uddin claimed that he had paid money to agents at Katigorah border to facilitate his crossing over to India. �There are a number of agents who keep roaming across the border. Rs 1,000 is all you need to enter India,� Burhan quipped.
�I had come to India with my minor kids, Gopal and Gobindo, via the Bhanga border in Karimganj district two years ago to meet my uncle. While we were travelling in the evening hours, police caught us during interrogation. The officials told us that we have to stay here for a mandatory period of three months after which we can go back,� Archana said.
Interestingly, a few others in the list who were also deported to Bangladesh claimed that they had crossed the international border by simply swimming across the riverine Kusiara border.
A common man in Bangladesh can earn a maximum of Rs 100 per day putting in hard labour, whereas the amount can be more than double if you work in India, feel Anowar Hussain and Enam Uddin.
