An Indian citizen was allowed to see her Bangladeshi mother’s body at the Chapainawabganj border after Border Guard Bangladesh facilitated a special humanitarian arrangement between the two countries.
BGB said Tara Banu, 75, of Jaminpur village in Shibganj Upazila, died on Monday due to old age complications.
After learning of her mother’s death, her daughter Maleka Begum, a resident of Dushatdighi village under Kalia Police Station in Malda district of West Bengal, appealed to Indian border guards to allow her a final glimpse of her mother.
Other relatives living in India made similar requests through the Border Security Force (BSF).
With barbed-wire fences blocking the family from crossing over, both BSF and BGB were approached to assist with the request.
Considering the humanitarian grounds, members of the Mahananda 59 BGB Battalion arranged for Maleka and her relatives to see the body from the zero-line area along the border on Tuesday.
Witnesses said a heartbreaking scene unfolded as the daughter and other relatives viewed the body from across the boundary, with residents from both countries moved by the moment.
Mahananda 59 BGB Battalion Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Golam Kibria said BGB maintains strict border surveillance but always gives priority to humanitarian issues.
“BGB will continue to stand by people in any humanitarian situation,” he said.
