Stranded in India Amid Shutdown: No plan yet to bring home 313 devotees

As many as 313 Bangladeshi followers of Tablighi Jamaat, according to the religious organisation, are stuck in India and living in dire straits following a nationwide manhunt by the Indian authorities.

Many of them are living in fear of detention after Indian police arrested several Bangladeshis from different states for the violation of the Foreigners Act and the Epidemic Diseases Act.

At least 9,000 people had participated at a congregation at the Nizamuddin Markaz Mosque in March, after which many travelled to various parts of India for missionary work. The Tablighi Jamaat event later turned out to have been a hotbed of coronavirus infection as many of the participants tested positive for Covid-19.

The list of 313 Bangladeshis, which includes elderly men and women, was prepared by Tablighi Jamaat Bangladesh. They said there may be more people who went on their own. However, the Bangladesh authorities are yet to confirm how many Bangladeshi Tablighi Jamaat followers are now staying in India.

Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen told The Daily Star on Monday that they have got a list of 139 Bangladeshi Tablighi Jamaat followers who were either quarantined or arrested in India. But he was not sure of the exact number.

"Among them, some were quarantined while some others were arrested," he said, adding that they were still observing the situation.

"We are trying to find out more details," he said.

Earlier, the Indian home ministry stated that they have blacklisted 110 Bangladeshi nationals for violating their tourist visa and participating in missionary activities in different parts of India after attending the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi. Their visas were also cancelled.

An official at the Bangladesh mission in New Delhi wishing not to be named said the Indian authorities were helping them repatriate stranded Bangladeshi patients, tourists and students, but they were yet to say anything about the clearance of the stranded Tablighi Jamaat followers.

On April 28, 10 Bangladeshi nationals -- five couples -- who attended the event were arrested from Madhya Pradesh, under charge of staying in the state without informing local police.

Sheikh Sagir Ahmad, 55, and Roksana Begum, 50, are one of the arrested couples. They went to India by air on February 25. They were supposed to come back to Dhaka on April 7 by air, but could not because of the suspension of flights to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

Their son Sk Tanvir Ahmed in Dhaka sent three emails to the Bangladesh High Commissions in Delhi and Deputy High Commisioner's office in Mumbai on April 15, April 20 and April 21, seeking help from the high commissions, but has not yet gotten a reply.

Talking to this correspondent, Tanvir said his parents stayed at Nizamuddin in Delhi till March 4. Then they moved to Sheopur in Madhya Pradesh to perform Tablighi activities.

On March 29, the local law enforcement agency took them to a government male hostel adjacent to Sheopur District Jail for quarantine, Tanvir said, adding that he was in a contact with them till April 28.

Tanvir said his parents experienced a lot of hardship in terms of food and hygiene. They are elderly persons and both have diabetic issues, have run out of insulin and medicine, which are not properly delivered.

"Their passports, cell phones and Bangladeshi SIM cards were seized after a few days. Then they came to know that a case was filed against them with four other couples stuck with them.

"They have never experienced imprisonment in their lives," Tanvir said, adding that one or two-months' stay in jail would be tough for them at this age.

The Daily Star received copy of another letter to the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi from eight stranded Bangladeshis who are now in virtual judicial custody in Uttar Pradesh. They were stuck in Bulandshahr district.

After their flights were cancelled, they communicated their situation to the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi through the Covid-19 hotline number. They also submitted their passport photocopies to the local police station for any sort of medical checkup required by the Indian government.

On April 1, their passports were seized by Katawali Dehat Police Station. Again, they informed the matter to the Bangladesh High Commission.

"The next day, a police officer forced us to sign a Hindi document, although we had no knowledge of what was written there nor had we been provided with any translation. Half an hour later we were picked up by a huge police convoy in the name of quarantine and taken to a school compound where conditions were miserable -- just like slums."

A few hours later, they were shifted to another school compound.

"The same day, at late night, approximately at 11:30pm, police escorted us to a third location. We were quarantined there for 17 days. We spent those days under acute mental pressure.

"Authorities wearing civilian garb took our mugshots and fingerprints in the name of medical tests. Later, we understood that it was taken for police cases," read the letter.

They said they repeatedly asked for medical certificates after their quarantine period of 14 days were over, but in vain.

On April 19, the authorities escorted them to Triveni Dutt Brahmchari Saraswati Vidya Mandir Inter College in the town of Dibai, approximately 40 kilometres away from Bulandshahr district. It turned out to be virtual imprisonment, the letter said.

"In this compound, females and males are sharing the same toilet with only one shower facility. We are provided with low-quality jail food in unhygienic, foul-smelling polythene bags. No locals are allowed to supply our necessary commodities [such as sanitary napkins] here. Jail authorities are also not allowing us necessities even if we want to pay for them," the letter added.

A police official in charge of keeping them confined informed them that a first information report (FIR) has been filed against them under section 182, 269, 270 IPC and Foreigners Act section 14.

Mentioning the health risks and medical complications especially of the elderly among them, the eight appealed to the High Commissioner for assistance.

This Daily Star correspondent made several WhatsApp calls and sent text messages to Muhammad Imran, Bangladesh High Commissioner in New Delhi. He however did not respond.

From April 20 till yesterday, around 1,950 Bangladeshi nationals -- most of whom went to India for medical treatment or are students at different Indian universities -- have so far been brought back from the neighbouring country.