Razzak back home, finally

BGB Nayek Abdur Razzak “was gnawed by a member of Myanmar BGP” in the scuffle while being abducted on June 17, the BGP delegation claimed at the flag meeting over his return yesterday.

It was the bite that caused bleeding from his nose as seen in a photo circulated in the social media, said BGB Director General Maj Gen Aziz Ahmed, quoting the Myanmar side.

However, much to the relief of Razzak's family and friends, Myanmar's Border Guard Police (BGP) handed him over to the Border Guard  Bangladesh (BGB) around 5:30pm with his arms, ammunition and other belongings.

After Razzak's release following the flag meeting at Maungdaw, Aziz Ahmed held a press briefing at the BGB's Pilkhana headquarters in Dhaka.

Asked whether Myanmar Border Guard Police (BGP) tortured Razzak during the captivity, he said now that the BGB jawan was back, those details would be known.

But the Myanmar side at the flag meeting claimed that Razzak was hurt in his nose as a Myanmar BGP man had bitten him, he added.

After his kidnap, two photos of Razzak surfaced in social media. One of the photos showed his bleeding nose.

“I am well,” Razzak told journalists on his arrival at the transit jetty at Teknaf land port at 6:20pm by a speedboat with the Bangladesh delegation led by Commanding officer of the 42nd BGB Battalion Lt Col Abu Jar al Zahid.

Razzak also said he suffered nose injuries while scuffling with BGP troopers who attacked the six-member team he was leading while searching a fishing boat.

Contacted around 9:40pm yesterday, Lt Col Zahid said, “Nayek Razzak is now well and with his battalion in [Teknaf].”

 Asked whether Razzak would now go to his village home in Natore, Zahid said, “He [Razzak] would definitely visit his village home, since     he has become father a few days back.”

Meanwhile in Natore, Razzak's wife Asma Begum said she talked to her husband over the mobile phone around 6:30pm. 

"My husband had talked to me and inquired about our children and my in-laws. He specially asked me to look after our new baby." Asma said. "I talked to my husband only for a while, yet I am very happy."

Thanking the media and the government, Razzak's parents Tofazzal Hossain and Bulbuli Begum said they are just waiting to see their son back home.

FLAG MEETING

To join the flag meet, the seven-member BGB delegation left Teknaf for Maungdaw by a trawler around 10:00am. The meeting began around 10:30am and continued until 3:00pm, reports our Cox's Bazar correspondent, quoting BGB official Maj Md Aminul.

The Myanmar side was led by Lt Col Thihan of BGP-2.

Family members and relatives of BGB Nayek Razzak praying at their house in Baliabari village of Natore after hearing that their dear one has been brought back to Bangladesh yesterday. Myanmar border troops abducted him over a week ago. Photo: Star

BGB's medical officer Maj Md Shah Alam, who was among the Bangladesh delegation, checked the physical condition of Nayek Razzak during the handover.

At the flag meeting, the Myanmar BGP claimed that Nayek Razzak and his team were on duty without any uniform and the BGB team crossed the zero point and entered their territory.

The Bangladesh border force outright rejected the BGP claims.

“Our members are never allowed to perform duty without uniform,” said the BGB director general. “Rather, the BGP men's boat entered Bangladesh territory; they were in civil clothes and they forcibly abducted our man following an exchange of fire and scuffle.”

At the meeting, the BGB asked for signing a joint declaration including those claims, but the BGP delegation disagreed. Later, they contacted their higher authorities and it took around one and a half hours to get the decision.

Maj Gen Aziz also said the Myanmar side at the end of the meet requested the BGB delegation to visit a BGP man who was admitted to a hospital after “suffering injuries during the June 17 exchange of fire”.

“I instructed our delegation chief to visit the hospital and see the injured BGP man,” the DG said.

The BGB at the meeting protested uploading of Razzak's pictures. The Myanmar side pledged to check it and punish those involved.

Kidnapping of Razzak drew widespread criticism and protests from all walks of life.

Myanmar had been rejecting Bangladesh's request for a flag meeting. They even had laid down a condition for Razzak's release: Bangladesh has to take in 550 trafficking victims rescued from sea.

However, it later agreed on Razzak's unconditional release through the flag meeting.

THE INCIDENT

Around 5:30am on June 17, the uniformed BGB team led by Nayek Razzak were searching a civilian fishing boat as part of its regular anti-Yaba patrol, said the BGB chief at the press conference.

A written statement was also issued describing the incident.  

When the BGB members were busy searching the boat, a team of seven to eight BGP members in civil dress reached near the BGB team and fired 10 to 12 gunshots.

BGB Sepoy Biplob was hit with a bullet in the right hand and fell into the river. Another team member, Sepoy Belal jumped off and fired back from the cover of the fishing boat.

At the same time, another Myanmar team of eight to 10 BGP members came by a trawler and shove the fishing boat.

As a scuffle ensued between the two sides, the BGP members forcibly took away Razzak with his SMG, a magazine loaded with bullet and the boat under attack.

Meantime, hearing the shooting, another BGB boat, which was around 500 to 600 yards away, reached the scene and rescued the two members Biplob and Belal, who were swimming towards the shore.

Later around 6:10am, the BGB 42nd battalion chief Lt Col Zahid called his Myanmar counterpart, who claimed not to be aware of the incident.

Zahid called two more times. At 6:40am, the Myanmar official said he came to know about the incident and at 7:30am he admitted that Razzak was under their custody and doing fine.