An Indian has finally returned home to Tripura after spending 37 years in Bangladesh jails. A man from Tripura’s Sipahijala district had gone to Bangladesh to visit his relatives years ago and had little idea that the trip would become the pain of his life and he would yearn to return to his family in India.
Shahjahan (62) has now returned home after spending 37 years in Bangladesh jails. He returned to India via Srimantapur ‘Land Customs’ station with the help of Border Security Force (BSF) personnel. Officials said that Shahjahan, a resident of border Rabindranagar village of Sonamura subdivision, had gone to his in-laws’ house in Comilla, Bangladesh in 1988. According to him, during that time the police raided his relative’s house and arrested him for illegally entering the neighboring country.
Shahjahan told reporters, “At the age of 25, I was sentenced to 11 years in prison by a court in Comilla. Even after completing the sentence, I was not released and I spent 26 more years in custody, taking the total to 37 years in jail before I was allowed to return home.” The injustice done to Shahjahan came to light through the media a few months ago.
Shahjahan’s family says that his plight was noticed by the Zara Foundation, which helps refugees stranded abroad. The family said that Zara Foundation’s president Moushahid Ali took immediate steps to release Shahjahan and then after several legal procedures, Shahjahan was handed over to BSF personnel at Srimantpur station on Tuesday.
Shahjahan, now 62, left home when he was young and his wife was pregnant. On his return to India, his son has seen him for the first time. Shahjahan said, “I cannot express my happiness in words. I feel as if I am in heaven. This is like rebirth for me. I never thought that I would be able to return to my birthplace in this life. It is Zara Foundation that brought me back home. I will be grateful to this organization all my life.”
He also alleged that he suffered brutal torture during the first 14 days in police custody. “After spending 11 years in Comilla Central Jail, I was transferred to other jails on false charges and spent another 26 years there,” Shahjahan recalled.