Take me home

Hearing-impaired Bangladeshi girl Nasima Khatun has been stranded in India for at least 10 years. The 25-year-old, now in a shelter there, cannot remember her Bangladesh address but wants to see her parents and siblings.

According to Nasima, she is from Paylabari of Barisal and her father's name is Bechu Miah and mother's Ayesha Bibi. She has three brothers and three sisters.

Nasima is in Baganda Janasiksha Prochar Kendra under Jangipara Police Station in Hooghly, some 50km from West Bengal's capital Kolkata.

The shelter authorities sent several letters to the address Nasima gave them but the letters returned undelivered.  

BM Jamal Hossain, counsellor (political) of Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata, said they were going to use the social media, including Facebook, to get information about her parents. They will open a Facebook page for Nasima where her photograph and other information would be uploaded.

Talking to The Daily Star recently, he said they have come to know from the shelter authorities that her father Bechu Miah took Nasima to Maldah in West Bengal in 2006 and sold her to a young man from Bihar. Her parents then returned to Bangladesh. She became pregnant and had a miscarriage.

Her so-called husband sold her again, he told The Daily Star.

At one point, Nasima fell sick. Police rescued her when she was getting admitted to a hospital. Nasima was taken to a shelter in Krishnanagar and later moved to Baganda Janasiksha Prochar Kendra in Hooghly, said Jamal.  

Asim Mukherjee, secretary of Baganda Janasiksha Prochar Kendra, told this paper that when Nasima was taken there in 2006, she was 14 or 15 years old.

He said, “On the information gathered during her counselling, we tried to find her parents. We are maintaining regular contacts with Subrata Sarker of Barisal, who is involved in voluntary work, to get information on her parents.” 

Talking to this newspaper, Subrata said he tried to find her parents, but failed.

Abhishek Mukherjee, executive director of the centre, said Nasima also has difficulty in speaking. They applied various techniques to know about her home address. She was shown videos of various villages, roads and launch terminals in Bangladesh.

He told The Daily Star, “We have tried our best. Bangladesh deputy high commission in Kolkata has been informed about the matter.”

Contacted, Jamal of Bangladesh Deputy High Commission told The Daily Star that he went to Baganda Janasiksha Prochar Kendra in November and talked to Nasima.

He said as Nasima has difficulty in speaking, they could not be sure of where she came from. 

Nasima may not be from Barisal, but she is from Bangladesh, he added.

This correspondent also visited the Baganda shelter and talked to Nasima. The girl said she had trusted her father, but he sold her in the name of marriage.

Nasima said, “I don't feel good here. I am upset. My health is also deteriorating as I am always tensed. I want to go home. Please, find my home”.