For five days, Golam Mostafa is sitting by his door waiting for his son to return. In the same village, four other families endure an identical agony, waiting for news of their husbands, fathers, or brothers.
Where the men are being held, how they are being treated, and when they will be allowed to return home remain painfully unanswered questions.
The five Bangladeshis were detained by India’s Border Security Force (BSF) on the Padma River alongside a boat laden with jute after accidentally straying into Indian territory.
Since the incident on the night of 7 September, their relatives have lived in a state of crippling uncertainty.
According to family members and local sources, the men were returning towards Alaipur at around 8:30 pm after purchasing commercial jute from the Banglabazar Char area of Bagha upazila in Rajshahi.
Relatives explained that whilst navigating against strong river currents in pitch darkness, the boatmen lost their bearings. The vessel drifted across the border into Indian waters, where BSF personnel intercepted it and took everyone on board into custody.
The detained men have been identified as college student Mosharraf Hossain, 26, son of Golam Mostafa from Alaipur Madhyapara village; Sahabul Ali, 40; Babar Ali, 40; and boatmen Saiful Islam, 46, and Asadul Islam, 38. Three of the men are small-scale jute traders, whilst two were operating the boat.
Following the detention, desperate relatives approached the Alaipur Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) camp. A battalion-level flag meeting between the BGB and BSF was subsequently held on 9 September. However, no immediate resolution was reached regarding the release or handover of the men.
Saharul Islam, brother of detained boatman Asadul, said they learned through the flag meeting that the group had been detained after mistakenly entering Indian waters. Nevertheless, no concrete details have been shared regarding their health or current place of detention.
Naik Subedar Monsur Ali, company commander at the Alaipur BGB camp, confirmed, “A flag meeting was held with the BSF on 9 September over the issue. The boat had mistakenly entered Indian territory.”
Sepoy Sakib of the BGB media cell added, “The matter has been discussed with senior officials. Work is under way to secure their swift return.”
A visit to the men’s homes on Saturday, 12 September, revealed scenes of deep distress. “In our struggling family, my son used to trade jute alongside his studies to help us get by,” said Golam Mostafa, father of Mosharraf. “I have no idea where my son is or how he is faring.”
Baishakhi, the tearful daughter of Asadul Islam, made a desperate plea: “Please arrange for my father to be brought back. He is the sole breadwinner in our family. For the past few days, we have been surviving on loans from relatives. How long can we continue like this?”
Local residents emphasised that all five men are law-abiding individuals with no record of smuggling or illicit activity. Considering that the border crossing was an honest error caused by river conditions, community leaders have called for their immediate release on humanitarian grounds.
Former union chairman Fakrul Hasan Bablu urged swift administrative action, while Bagha Upazila Nirbahi Officer Taki Faisal Talukder confirmed that further flag meetings between the BGB and BSF are being arranged to bring the men home safely.
