Stranded in No-man's Land: India takes back 31 Rohingyas

After a five-day impasse, the Indian Border Security Force yesterday took back 31 stranded Rohingyas from the no-man's land near the Kaziatali border along Brahmanbaria's Kasba upazila and Tripura's Sipahijala district.

They were handed over to Tripura police, said BSF Deputy Inspector General Brijesh Kumar.

Lt Col Gulam Kabir, commanding officer of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) 25 Battalion, said, "The BSF opened the pocket gate of the barbed wire fencing around 10:30am and took them inside their border without informing us."

Being pushed by the BSF, the 31 refugees, including women and children, were stuck in the no man's land since Friday in the face of strong resistance from the BGB, sparking a tension in the bordering areas, he added.

Meanwhile, three flag meetings between the BSF and BGB were held in this regard but ended with no conclusion.

The refugees had been living in inhumane conditions under the open sky until Monday when the BSF men installed two separate tents to minimise their sufferings.

The BSF also supplied food and drinking water to the refugees during the period.

Meanwhile, Indian External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, "Government is aware of the presence of the 31 people originally from Rakhine state in Myanmar."

"While their documentation and claims are being examined, necessary shelter, food and material are being provided to them by the force," he added.

30 MORE ROHINGYAS ARRESTED IN TRIPURA-ASSAM BORDER

Meanwhile, Assam police on Monday night arrested 30 more Rohingyas, including 12 children, from a Guwahati-bound bus in Tripura's Churaibari village along the Tripura-Assam border, reports NDTV, quoting North Tripura District Police Chief Bhanupada Chakraborty.

They were produced before an Assam court yesterday after primary interrogation, he added.

Our Brahmanbaria and New Delhi correspondents contributed to this report.