Bagerhat, May 13 (V7N) - The Bangladesh Coast Guard has rescued 75 Bangladeshi Muslims and 3 Indian Muslims who were forcibly pushed into the Mandarbaria Char in the Sundarbans by Indian authorities.

Coast Guard Media Officer Lieutenant Commander Harun-or-Rashid informed journalists about this through a press release on Tuesday morning.

He stated that these 78 individuals were forcibly pushed into Bangladeshi territory at Mandarbaria Char in the Sundarbans by Indian authorities in the early hours of last Friday (May 9). The majority of them had been residing in the Indian state of Gujarat for an extended period and were engaged in various occupations.

Initial inquiries revealed that the Indian administration detained them from their residences late on the night of April 26 and clandestinely left them at Mandaradi Char in the Sundarbans in the early hours of May 9.

Subsequently, the group made their way to Mandarbaria Char and sought refuge at the Mandarbari Forest Office. Upon being informed by the Forest Office, the Bangladesh Coast Guard West Zone swiftly rescued the 78 individuals last Saturday (May 10), providing them with essential food and medical assistance.

The individuals who were pushed in further recounted that Indian police raided their settlements and demolished their homes using bulldozers. They also alleged inhumane torture in front of their family members, as well as brutal torture of other family members. Following this, they were blindfolded and transported to an undisclosed location via a military plane, while other family members were taken to different locations by another military aircraft. The survivors stated that the Indian authorities then transported them by ship and abandoned them in a part of the Sundarbans within Bangladesh. They reported enduring physical torture, inhumane treatment, and religiously offensive comments during their time on the ship, and were also deprived of necessary food. They remain unaware of the current whereabouts of their wives and children.

Lieutenant Commander Harun-or-Rashid further stated that the rescued individuals were handed over to the Satkhira Shyamnagar Police Station last Sunday (May 11) for further legal proceedings.

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