12 Rohingya Muslims stranded on zero line along Indo-Bangla border

Agartala: Twelve Rohingya Muslims, who tried to enter into Indian territory from Bangladesh through Futia village of Tripura’s Sipahijala district on Thursday, are still stranded in ‘no man’s land’ along the Indo-Bangla border.

Futia village is about 50 km from state capital Agartala.

Speaking to reporters, Border Security Force (BSF) deputy inspector general CL Belwa said that his men thwarted the attempt of at least 12 Rohingya Muslims, including five children and five women, to enter into the Indian side on Thursday.

“The Rohingya Muslims are still stranded on the zero line. A company commander-level flag meeting was held two days ago with Border Guards of Bangladesh (BGB) followed by a battalion commander-level meeting,” Belwa said.

According to Belwa, during the meeting, the BSF produced many documents, including their identity cards which were seized during their attempt to enter India.

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“We also seized biscuits and cold drinks from their possession, which were manufactured in Bangladesh. These were provided by the World Food Programme with a unit at Cox bazaar in Chittagong in Bangladesh,” he said.

During the battalion commander-level meeting held on Thursday, the BGB accepted that they came from Bangladesh side and sought two days’ time for a final decision, Belwa added.

According to sources in the BSF and the police, over 250 Rohingya Muslims have been detained during the past one year from different parts of the Northeast, which share a 2,000-km-long border with the neighbouring country.

Earlier on April 30, four Rohingya refugees, including three minors and one woman, were detained at Kailashahar in Tripura’s Unakoti district, around 140 km from Agartala.