59 Indian prisoners languishing in Bangladesh jails
By IANSMonday, January 31, 2011
DHAKA - At least 59 Indian nationals including three women are languishing in Bangladesh jails, despite completion of their prison terms, but New Delhi is refusing to take them back, a media report said Monday.
The district jail authorities in Satkhira on the western border tried several times to send them back but the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) repeatedly refused to accept them, The Daily Star said Monday quoting official sources.
Caught on charges of smuggling and arms peddling, the prisoners in the age group of 24-60 have completed their jail terms ranging from two to five years.
Officials said the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) tried to push them back, but did not succeed.
Hailing from various Indian states, they were arrested by BGB and police from the border areas in last one decade for various crimes, the daily said.
They were convicted by the courts concerned and were sentenced to suffer two to five years rigorous imprisonment. Prison terms of some of the convicts ware completed in 2002.
The newspaper also published a list of their names.
On completion of their prison terms in different jails including in Satkhira, the jail authorities tried to send them back to India several times but BSF declined to accept them on the plea that they cannot do it without “order from the government”, the report said.
