Woman stranded in no-man’s land for five days

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A woman remained stranded in no-man’s land along the Bangladesh-India border in Jamalpur’s Dewanganj upazila for a fifth consecutive day yesterday as Border Guard Bangladesh and…

A woman remained stranded in no-man’s land along the Bangladesh-India border in Jamalpur’s Dewanganj upazila for a fifth consecutive day yesterday as Border Guard Bangladesh and India’s Border Security Force continued to differ over her identity and nationality.

The woman, believed to be around 30, was first spotted by locals on Tuesday morning at the Pathorer Char border in Dangdhara union. Since then, she has been forced to stay at the zero line, as neither side has agreed to take responsibility for her.

According to locals and BGB officials, the woman has provided inconsistent information about her identity and address. She initially identified herself as Fuji Begum and said she was 30 years old.

BGB officials said the BSF attempted to push her into Bangladesh after she arrived at the border, but the move was prevented by BGB personnel and local residents. Since then, the BSF has refused to take her back, while the BGB has not allowed her to enter Bangladesh.

The woman has been spending her days and nights in the open since Tuesday, resting on straw and dry leaves. Locals have been providing her with food and drinking water.

“She has been suffering under the scorching sun for five days. She appears to be mentally unstable. The standoff between the two forces has only worsened her condition,” said Abdur Rahim, a resident of the area.

Another local, Amena Begum, said, “We hope senior officials from both countries will resolve the issue soon. She is facing serious difficulties, including using the toilet. Whenever she moves in either direction, personnel from the two border forces chase her away.”

As of yesterday afternoon, the two forces had remained in contact, but no solution had been reached.

Lt Col Hasanur Rahman, commanding officer of the Jamalpur-35 BGB Battalion, said the woman had been unable to provide a specific address and gave only fragmentary information, making communication difficult.

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