Islampur, Nov. 4: Rizlul Islam, a farmer, is officially a resident of Radhargachh located on the Indian side of the border. In reality, his house and agricultural land are in Bangladesh.
Rizlul is not alone. Many Indians have been affected by the “unscientific fencing” along the 150-km stretch of Indo-Bangla border in Islampur subdivision of North Dinajpur.
“It is really a Herculean task to tackle the situation. I hold an Indian voter’s identity card but have become a Bangladeshi,” said Rizlul.
Without clearance from the Border Security Force (BSF), villagers like Rizlul cannot cross the border. “Even in case of an emergency, we have to go by the time schedule and are not permitted to come to the Indian side of the fence after sunset,” the farmer added.
Tension brews in the border areas over the erection of the barbed wire fences. Villagers of Thakurbari, Kamalgachh, Thakurbari, Bagashree, Kajigachh, Phulbari, Damgapara and Tantipara and Kajigachh, have protested against it. Fencing along a 5-km stretch of the border came to a standstill following protests from the residents of the area who demanded that the fence be re-routed to accommodate them within Indian territory or compensation be paid against the losses.
Several villages, burial grounds, mosques, temples, agricultural land and tea gardens under Islampur subdivision will be thrown on the other side of the border due to the 150-km long fencing.
“We have demanded the publication of a white paper by the home ministry explaining the rationale behind the fencing which will make Indians live on foreign soil,” zonal secretary of the CPM Swapan Guha Niyogi said.
Fazlul Haque, president of Chopra panchayat samity, said the North Dinajpur district magistrate had been urged to rehabilitate those who would lose their land before the fencing began.
Forward Bloc MLA from Islampur Kamul Haque said relief minister Hafiz Alam Sairani (whose constituency is in Goalpokhor) had taken up the matter with the government and would meet chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee seeking his intervention.
Congress MLA from Chopra Hamidul Rahman said he would raise the issue in the Assembly during winter session to create pressure on the Centre for the publication of white paper.
Villagers said they were made to run errands for the BSF when they came to get permission to come to the Indian side of the border.
Subdivisional officer of Islampur Rabindranath Roy said: “We are aware of the problems. But our hands are tied. The problem has been brought to the notice of the state and Centre. We have little solution to offer.”
Inspector general of the BSF R.P. Singh denied all allegations of harassment of the villagers by his men. He parried all questions about rehabilitation and compensation saying that it was not his concern.
