JAMMU, June 10: Thirty-three Bangladeshi nationals were apprehended by the Border Security Force (BSF) while crossing over to Pakistan on May 30 in broad daylight from the international border at village Makwal in R S Pura Sector of Jammu and Kashmir.Next day, they were let off by the State Police after making them board the Calcutta-bound Sealdah Express at Jammu railway station. However, no one was booked and produced before a court on the charge of having illegally entered into the county from Bangladesh.This is not an isolated incident, but only a tip of the iceberg, giving enough indications about the callous attitude of the law enforcing agencies in dealing with these illegal emigrants coming from Bangladesh to the state. Well-placed sources in the police and the BSF said the practice was going on for the last one decade, resulting in wide-spread apprehensions about the settlement of a large number of Bangladeshi nationals in the militancy infested and sensitive border state.The Bangladeshinationals, after getting into West Bengal, come to the state for exfiltration to Pakistan in search of jobs. Well organised brokers charge money for accompanying them from their native places to Benagaon (West Bengal) and to places near the international border in Jammu and Kashmir. Throughout their journey, they are accompanied by different brokers, who leave them near the border for crossing over to Pakistan.Pointing out that the BSF apprehended 575 Bangladeshi nationals from near the border for making attempts to exfiltrate to Pakistan during the first five months of the current year, sources said all these illegal immigrants were later handed over to the police stations concerned for initiating action under law.However, almost all of them were let off by the police, as none of them was found involved in militant activities during interrogation. They included women and children as well.Senior police officials here, however, justified the release of Bangladeshi nationals, saying they had notcommitted any crime in the state. ``They had committed the only crime of border crossing in West Bengal and as such, they could not be booked by us in the state,'' one of the police officials said on terms of anonymity.However, the Bangladeshis having infiltrated into the state from Pakistan are booked under law of the land, he said. Some of these infiltrators, after the completion of their jail terms, have been lodged in police lock-ups for repatriation since many years, he added.Another police officials said they have no funds to arrange for their food and clothing in the lock-ups. Moreover, it takes years to repatriate them after the completion of their jail terms, he added.Substantiating, a police officer recalled that he apprehended about 175 Bangladeshi nationals while proceeding towards Pakistan. ``I brought them to the police station and offered them meals from the police mess. Thereafter, we pushed them back to Jammu for boarding the Sealdah Express, as it was impossible to arrange food forthem everyday,'' he added.The BSF officials, however, blamed the civil administration and law enforcing agencies of the state for the problem. ``The problem can be effectively tackled only if the police handover these illegal immigrants to the BSF at Benagaon (West Bengal) against proper receipt for repatriation,'' a senior BSF official said.The senior police officers said it was not possible for them to spare policemen so often to accompany these illegal immigrants to West Bengal for repatriation. Besides, who will bear the expenses to be incurred on their railway journey from here? they asked, adding the best way to get rid of them is to huddle them into a Calcutta-bound train without ticket.
