‘Mentally disabled’ woman stuck on India-Bangladesh no-man’s-land amid pandemic

A “mentally disabled” woman has been stuck on the no-man’s-land along the border between India and Bangladesh at Khagrachhari’s Ramgarh for three days amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Both Border Guard Bangladesh and India’s Border Security Force have denied her entry as the countries are on lockdown due to the outbreak.

BGB and BSF sat for several times but could not take any decision on her.

Ramgarh 40 BGB Battalion has hung posters with her photo in the area hoping to find her relatives though locals have claimed she came from the other side of the border.

The border guards and locals were providing her with food.

Ramgarh 43 BGB commander Lt Col Tariqul Islam told bdnews24.com on Saturday that the woman “with mental disabilities” came from India three days ago.    

“We can’t confirm which country she belongs to because she can’t speak. We held meetings with the BSF at Border Out Post, battalion and sector commander levels but failed to find any way out of the stalemate,” he said.

No one is ready to take any risk during the lockdown, he added.

The woman tried to cross the border into Bangladesh near Ramgarh’s SDO bungalow on Thursday afternoon, local journalist Nizam Uddin Lavlu said, referring to witnesses.

She tried to return when the BGB personnel stopped her but after the BSF members also denied her entry, she was stuck on the bank of the Feni River, he said.

The local authority has nothing to do about her as the woman did not cross the border into Bangladesh, Ramgarh Upazila Executive Officer ANM Badruddoza said.

“It totally depends on the BGB now,” he added.