Bangladeshi Girl, 17, Runs To India After Threats For Being ISKCON Devotee

A seventeen-year-old Hindu girl from Bangladesh ran through the night and crossed over to the Indian side where she was detained by border security officials and handed over to the West Bengal police. The reason she had to run away was because she was an ISKCON devotee.

She said her family has been facing threats for being from the minority community for the past several weeks, but the situation got out of hand when fundamentalists in Bangladesh threatened to kidnap her and kill the rest of her family. That is when she decided to run away from her country.

With no certainty of how long it might take her legally to flee to India, she decided to run to the border and cross it by foot. That is exactly what she did, but was caught by the Border Security Force or BSF and sent to police custody, where she narrated her escape.

According to the police, the teenage girl crossed over illegally from the border in West Bengal's Uttar Dinajpur district. She claimed to have some relatives living in India and was apparently heading for their residence.

Though she has given her statement narrating her ordeal, the police want to be certain and not just take things on face value. They are now investigating the matter and also want to find out if she was accompanied or helped by someone in finding a way to cross the border.

"The girl has some relatives in Jalpaiguri district. We have gotten in touch with them," the investigating officer said, adding that "We are trying to find out who helped her in crossing the border."

"The girl is a resident of Panchagarh district in Bangladesh. She crossed the border on foot but was spotted by the BSF soldiers near the Fatehpur Border outpost in Uttar Dinajpur's Chopra block," the police officer said.

Speaking to news agency Press Trust of India, one of the Indian relatives of the teenage girl said "She and her family are devotees of ISKCON. Fundamentalists threatened to kidnap her and murder the rest of the family. They were planning to send her here (for her safety). She was planning to come to India, but we had no confirmation about the date."

The relative also said that the girl's father is a medical representative in Bangladesh and has been unwell for quite some time now.

Incidents of communal violence are on the rise across Bangladesh and people from the Hindu minority are being targeted with little-to-no action being taken by the administration. ISKCON devotees are the latest target since the arrest of Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Das in Dhaka on November 25. There have been incidents of mob violence and vandalism of property targeting the minority community. Temples have been defaced too.

Protesters from the minority community have even faced police crackdowns and lathi-charges. They were protesting the arrest of the Hindu priest, who is still in custody and is undergoing trial in a Bangladesh court.

Coming to the aid of the teenage girl who fled to India, ISKCON Kolkata Vice-President Radaramn Das has requested Home Minister Amit Shah to intervene in the matter.

"It is heartbreaking and deeply distressing to learn about a minor girl from Bangladesh who, in sheer desperation, tried to cross into India alone, only to be arrested by the BSF and thrown into juvenile custody," Mr Das said in a post on X.

It is heartbreaking and deeply distressing to learn about a minor girl from Bangladesh who, in sheer desperation, tried to cross into India alone, only to be arrested by the BSF and thrown into juvenile custody.

Her parents, both gravely ill, urged her to cross over to India… pic.twitter.com/3ZKnoA7yub — Radharamn Das राधारमण दास (@RadharamnDas) December 11, 2024

"Her parents, both gravely ill, urged her to cross over to India because of the conditions in Bangladesh and their fear for her safety. They had no choice but to entrust their daughter's life to the hope of finding refuge with their relatives in India," he added.

"How can we, as a nation, ignore such a plea for help? How can we turn away a vulnerable child seeking safety and love? I humbly and urgently request @HMOIndia to intervene with compassion and humanity, and allow this innocent girl to live with her relatives," Mr Das wrote.

(Inputs from PTI)