Many sick Bangladeshis still stranded in India

A large number of Bangladeshi patients and their attendants are stuck in India as the neighbouring country has been under a lockdown since March 25.

Though the Bangladesh High Commission in India could not confirm the exact number of stranded people, it is being said that hundreds of Bangladeshis are stuck in different cities of India, many of whom are suffering from complicated diseases.

As the high commission staff are also locked down in their houses, almost nothing has been done so far to bring these people back. The commission has established a hotline number which is +91 859555 2494 and urged all the stranded people to call the number if any sort of help is required.

But several victims have told this newspaper that they did not get any response after calling this number and some alleged that the replies of the commission were of no help.

Amid this 21-day-long lockdown, stranded Bangladeshis are going through a tough time with dwindling cash and a fear of getting infected by coronavirus abroad.

Dedarul Islam Shawon, who went to Chennai for treatment a couple of weeks ago, said, "More than 1,000 Bangladeshis are locked in Chennai and its neighbouring town Vellore. Most of us came here for treatment. Our treatment is over, but we have no means to return to Bangladesh."

Like Chennai and Vellore, hundreds of Bangladeshis have fallen victim to the situation in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Delhi -- the popular destinations for medical tourism.

Aporna went to Hyderabad with her mother and sister on March 13. She said, "Living cost in Hyderabad is very high. Moreover, most of the restaurants, kitchen markets, grocery shops are closed due to the lockdown. We are running out of money pretty fast, and therefore, we cannot stay here for 21 more days."

Mehrab Hossain, who is trapped in this situation with his ailing mother in Bengaluru, said, "My mother just went through cardiac surgery. We have been living in a hotel for over a month. Due to severe scarcity of food and funds, we are living on just rice and lentils. Shortage of food and extreme anxiety is making my mother sick again."

Amid this backdrop, these Bangladeshis have been trying to communicate with the Bangladesh high commission desperately; however, they haven't received any solution yet. Many of them even faced harassment.

Shawon said, "I was supposed to fly to Kolkata from Chennai at 10:00pm on March 24. However, my flight got cancelled due to the lockdown. Then, I called to Bangladesh High Commission at Delhi. When I told them about my situation, the high commission official asked me if I could speak Hindi. And, I had to describe the whole thing in Hindi again. Then I was told to call again tomorrow morning. I called but they didn't receive."

"Again, I called the representative office of Bangladesh at Agartala. They told me that they had nothing to do and we have to obey Indian law as we are in India," he said.

Finding no other way, Bangladeshis are sending messages to the social media accounts of Bangladesh High Commission and sending emails. While many of them did not receive any reply, those who got, became even more anxious.

In reply to Aporna's SOS (a signal which indicates that a person is in danger and need emergency help), the commission replied, "The High Commission is also under lockdown. We will try our level best to address your situation. Try to be in contact with other Bangladeshis. The high commission is with you; however, you have to wait until the government relaxes the lockdown."

In another message the commission states, "We are really sorry to hear your condition. This is an absolutely unusual situation. As per the home country (India) directions, we are also locked down at our houses. We pray the situation will be normal and we will try to help you."

Amit Kumar Bandya, who got stranded in Mumbai with his cancer patient father says, "One of the high commission officials said that if we can reach Kolkata on our own, the high commission will arrange our return from Kolkata. However, inter-state travel is banned now. We can't travel more than 2000 kilometres to Kolkata from Mumbai by an ambulance. We appeal to our government to arrange a special flight for our return."

Mohammad Imran, High Commissioner of Bangladesh to India told this correspondent, "Our staffs are working round the clock to ensure the well-being and safe return of our citizens. We have established the hotline where all Bangladeshis can call and share their concerns."

When asked what steps the high commission might take to ensure the well-being and safe return amidst inter-state travel ban, the high commissioner says, "We are communicating with the Dhaka office and the Indian government to fix what we can do for them."

However, foreign minister AK Abdul Momen said chartered flights could be arranged to bring the stranded Bangladeshis back provided that they pay for the cost of the flights.

"Bangladeshis who want to come back should register with the high commission by providing required information. Then if they agree to pay for the flight, we shall arrange chartered flights," said the foreign minister.

"Sending money to India or any other country from Bangladesh is now very easy. I hope they will take this opportunity," the minister added.