To

The Hon’ble Chairman

National Human Rights Commission

Faridkot House

Copernicus Marg

New Delhi – 1

 

Respected Sir,

 

Our organization Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM) is a human rights organization working in West Bengal, India, since 1997.

 

For past few years we have been in continuous fact finding effort that a large number of Indian and Bangladeshi nationals are lodged in jails in each other’s country, deprived of basic legal and human rights. They are kept in the dark at every stage from the time of their arrest. Even after completing their term of punishment as per court orders, they are not released; they have to wait for years for a formal process of exchange of prisoners to take place.

 

We have authentic information that four Indian nationals namely (i) Mr. Sukumar Mridha, son of Mr. Direndranath Mridha, residential address at village-Chargheri, Police Station- Sundarbon Coastal Chotomollakhali, District-South 24 Parganas; (ii) Mr. Kanai Mondal, son of Mr. Pradip Mondal, residential address at village-Mitrabari, Police Station-Sundarbon Coastal, District-South 24 Parganas; (iii) Mr. Ashok Mondal, son of Mr. Shyamapada Mondal, residential address at village-Kumirmari, Majherpara, Police Station- Chotomollakhali Coastal, District-South 24 Parganas and (iv) Mr. Subhas Chandra Mondal, son of late Prafulla Mondal, residential address at village- Kalidaspur 9 no. village, Police Station-Chotomollakhali Coastal Police Station, District-South 24 Parganasare spending their dark days at Satkhira Jail in Bangladesh. They were all fishermen by profession and their family members stated before our fact finding team that about 10 years ago they were arrested in the territory of Bangladesh after they by mistake entered into Bangladesh territory while they were fishing.  Those ill-fated persons are still detained in jail most probably asJan Khalas and the concerned authorities are still insensitive for their repatriation into India.   

 

It is true that in order to deport them to their respective home land a formal process of repatriation is followed by both the countries but its completion entirely depends upon the action of the bureaucratic heads of the Bangladesh and Indian Governments as well as the border forces of both the countries.  It is our hard earned experience that it takes abnormal time to complete such process even sometimes the detention undergone by the prisoners during such process are more than the term they actually spent under punishment.

 

Therefore we expect your kind interference in this matter. If you kindly take some necessary step for repatriation of those unfortunate victims who are still lodged in Satkhira Jail in Bangladesh as their family members in India are anxiously waiting for their return, it will surely be regarded as a great humanitarian example.

 

Thanking You,

Yours truly,

 

 

 

Kirity Roy,

Secretary, MASUM