Dhaka (Bangladesh): Sakina Begum, a 68-year-old woman from Assam, India, who had gone missing, is now being detained in Kashimpur Jail in Dhaka under The Control of Entry Act, 1952. She has been held for 53 days after allegedly being pushed into Bangladesh illegally from India.
Sakina Begum, a resident of Barkura village in Assam’s Nalbari district, was taken into custody by the Assam Police from her home in May. She subsequently went missing for a long period, with her family unable to contact her. In the first week of June, she had been found by a helpful stranger by the roadside in Dhaka’s Mirpur Bhashantek area, but had been unable to contact her family.
Shelter in a strange land
Jakia Begum, a resident of the Bhashantek tin-shed area, is the person who found and sheltered Sakina. Jakia told The Wire that she found Sakina sitting by the road near a shop in front of her house four days before Eid-ul-Azha. Seeing the elderly woman in a somewhat ill and distressed condition, Jakia brought her home, provided her with medical care, and nursed her back to health.
After about 15 days, Jakia realised that Sakina was a resident of Assam in India. Faced with a language barrier and considering Sakina’s age and health, Jakia, along with others from the tin-shed settlement, provided her with shelter for four months. They also tried to find a way to send Sakina back to Assam.
Their efforts led them to contact a BBC Bangla reporter. Based on information provided by Sakina, the reporter began a search in Assam and successfully located her family. After the BBC report spread on social media, the Bhashantek Police Station took Sakina into their custody. She was subsequently produced in court and charged with being in Bangladesh without a passport or visa.
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here.