Rush To Flee To India Via Illegal Routes

On August 5, a student uprising led to the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government. Following the change in government and Sheikh Hasina's escape to India, members of the recently ousted Awami League government, including former parliamentarians, ministers, and party activists, are facing danger. Lawsuits are being filed against them across the country due to the deaths of students caused by police firing during the protests. As a result, many are fleeing to various parts of the country to avoid arrest.

Sources indicate that in order to escape public anger and arrest, activists are fleeing to India via air, water, and land routes. Many are getting caught in the border areas while attempting to cross into India, and various smuggling rings have emerged in these areas to help them escape. These rings are reportedly assisting individuals in crossing the border in exchange for large sums of money and valuable jewelry.

According to sources from border districts such as Comilla, Brahmanbaria, Habiganj, and Sylhet, most of the former Awami League parliamentarians from these areas have moved to Indian border areas such as Tripura, Guwahati, and Assam. Before and after August 5, many were able to escape due to a temporary relaxation of border security as the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) was busy managing the protests. However, local BGB and police officials have claimed that there have been no incidents of human trafficking, and BGB patrols have been intensified.

The Awami League's central committee consists of 81 members. Besides Sheikh Hasina and Obaidul Quader, many leaders have fled. Notable among them are Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, former member of parliament for Gopalganj-2, former textiles and jute minister Jahangir Kabir Nanak, former fisheries and livestock minister Abdur Rahman, presidium member Kazi Jafar Ullah, former agriculture minister Dr. Md. Abdur Razzak, former MP for Chandpur Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, former MP A K M Bahadur Bahar and his daughter, former mayor of Comilla City Corporation Tahseen Bahar Suchana, and former MP Shamim Osman from Narayanganj.

Reports suggest that many of these fleeing leaders are currently residing in Indian states like Tripura, Agartala, Assam, and Meghalaya. Local sources confirm that a significant portion of the Awami League leaders and former members have escaped to India. Recently, it was reported that A K M Bahadur Bahar, his daughter Suchana, and several family members fled to Kolkata from Comilla's border. They are reportedly staying with a political leader in Kolkata and are paying 10,000 rupees per day. According to 'OP India,' a media outlet, they might seek political asylum in London.

Earlier, on September 23, retired Supreme Court Justice H M Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik was detained by the BGB while attempting to cross into India from the Kanaiighat Dana border area in Sylhet. In a video released after his arrest, Justice Manik was seen offering money to his captors, claiming he would pay them or his relatives would. Another video showed Manik admitting during questioning that he had paid 15,000 rupees for the attempt, but was later beaten by two men inside India and had 60-70 lakh rupees taken from him.

On September 12, the BGB arrested former MP ABM Fazle Karim Chowdhury along with two others at the Abdullahpur area of Brahmanbaria's Akhaura-Agartala border. The other two individuals were local youth leader Mohammad Hannan Molla and active member of a human trafficking ring, Naeem Chowdhury. Fazle Karim Chowdhury, a former MP for Chattogram-6, is facing multiple charges including the murder of students and political activists. Sources indicate he had negotiated an arrangement to flee to India for around 2 crore rupees.

On the evening of September 7, Kamal Ahmed, a member of the Sylhet District Awami League and former upazila chairman, was detained by the BGB while attempting to illegally enter India through the Jaintapur border. He faces several criminal charges including murder. On the same day, Awami League leaders Mashiur Rahman and Liyakut Sheikh were also apprehended while trying to escape from the Kanaiighat Dana border. On August 28, another Awami League leader and former central student leader Ishaq Ali Khan Panna was shot dead by the BSF while trying to flee through the same border.

Earlier, on August 31, 11 Bangladeshis were detained by Indian authorities after attempting to cross the border into India through the Sundarbans. According to Indian media, they were abandoned in the jungle by a smuggler who had promised to help them cross the border for 45,000 rupees.

Sources from Brahmanbaria and Comilla borders have reported that some members of ‘anti-supporter’ networks are betraying their promises and informing on former government supporters to capture them, while others are taking large sums of money and jewelry to facilitate their escape.

Additionally, there are rumors that former Dhaka Metropolitan Police Joint Commissioner Bipul Kumar Sarker has been in hiding and is believed to have fled to India via the Dhopgram border in Lalmonirhat with the help of smugglers. On September 9, Pankaj Kumar Madan, manager of the Brac Bank's Patgram branch, was detained in Patgram city after audio recordings of smuggling conversations were leaked on social media.

Meanwhile, reports of influential Bangladeshis seeking refuge in India in exchange for money have been published by Anandabazar Patrika. On August 21, the newspaper reported that several smuggling rings were operating to facilitate safe passage to India, charging different amounts based on the individual's financial status and social standing. It also mentioned that the BSF had already arrested some members of these rings and was conducting operations to apprehend the others.

On August 7, the Border Guard Bangladesh issued a statement highlighting that some corrupt individuals and criminals were attempting to flee the country in the aftermath of the student-led victory. To prevent such escapes, BGB has increased its patrols and intelligence monitoring at the borders. They have requested the public to provide information to the numbers +8801769-600682 and +8801769-620954.