Death of Bangladeshi in India: Wrong address holds back return of body

It has been five days since his ailing mother died at a hospital in India.

Eighteen-year-old Tokon Sarker of Boraipur in Dinajpur tried in every possible way to bring the body of his mother, Konika Rani Sarker, to Bangladesh.

But a wrong address in her death certificate issued by the hospital made things difficult for the teenager. Tokon was denied permission by the Indian immigration officials to take back his mother's body home.

Finally, Tokon and his family's wait is going to be over as he has secured necessary documents to bring the body back home.

Konika, who was suffering from heart conditions, and Tokon went to India through the Hili immigration check post in Hakimpur upazila on December 26 last year to take treatment in Bangalore, said Tokon's elder brother Khokon Sarker.

As the treatment was expensive, Tokon left her mother at their relative's home in Balurghat of South Dinajpur in West Bengal and returned home to arrange money, he said.

On February 12, Tokon went to India again to take his mother to Bangalore, but Konika's condition worsened that night. She was taken to a hospital in Balurghat, but doctors there referred her to Malda Medical College and Hospital, Khokon said.

The 43-year-old was admitted to the hospital with a local address. She passed away the next morning.

Khokon claimed that the driver of the ambulance mentioned the local address while filling in the admission form at the hospital. He, however, could not tell his name.

The hospital authorities later issued a death certificate with the local address.

The Indian immigration officials denied Tokon the permission to take back his mother's body home as the death certificate had a local address, Tokon told The Daily Star over the phone yesterday.

Tokon sought help of the South Dinajpur district administration. Yesterday, he obtained a recommendation letter from the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata.

He would take the letter to the Malda hospital today and the hospital authorities would then issue a fresh death certificate. Tokon hoped he would be able to enter Bangladesh today with his mother's body.

He expressed his gratitude to Sanjoy Basu, district magistrate of South Dinajpur, for helping him get the documents and arranging a morgue for preserving his mother's body.