Seven Hindu devotees from Kurigram’s Nageshwari crossed the border into India not out of fear, but to participate in a religious celebration. They visited a relative’s house in India and were later detained by the BSF. The incident took place on Saturday morning (August 10) at the Siparhat border in Kedar Union.
The individuals who crossed the border were Nikhil Chandra Biswas (50), son of Dharmeswar Biswas from Tepakuti village, Kedar Union; Manik Chandra Roy (45), son of Bharat Chandra Roy; Monmohan Chandra Biswas (46), son of Santosh Chandra Biswas; Subal Chandra Biswas (40); Daya Biswas (35); and Nipul Biswas (36) and Bipul Biswas (32), both sons of Amal Biswas from Dholuapara village in the same union.
According to sources from the BGB and local reports, around 9:30 AM, they crossed into Bhogdanga village, located outside the barbed wire fence in Golokganj police station of Dhubri district, Assam, India. At that time, the BSF members of India’s Kedar Adda BOP detained them. Later, around 4:30 PM, they were handed over to the BGB 22 Kurigram by the BSF.
The news of their detention quickly spread within Bangladesh, with rumors circulating that the seven had taken refuge in India out of fear.
Nikhil Chandra, one of the returnees, clarified that they had gone to Bhogdanga in the morning to participate in the Vashan Puja. Manik Chandra Roy was a drummer at the event. After the puja, they visited a member’s house in the area. It was during this visit that the BSF detained them. Later in the afternoon, they were handed over to the BGB through a flag meeting and were safely escorted home. Nikhil confirmed that they did not leave the country out of fear, stating, “No such incident has occurred in our village. We are living peacefully.”
Abdul Khalek, Naib Subedar of the Kedar Company, 22 BGB, confirmed the incident, stating that the seven people detained by the BSF for illegal entry were handed over to them. After interrogation, it was confirmed that they had gone to visit relatives across the border, not out of fear. They were subsequently released.