Listen to Story The widespread protests in Bangladesh have been accompanied by vandalism and looting of the houses of religious minorities, especially Hindus, creating a sense of fear and anxiety among them. And with the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina-led government, there is a possibility of the influx of Hindu refugees into Bengal, one of the states that shares a border with Bangladesh. India Today TV's sister channel Aaj Tak spoke to some residents in North 24 Parganas's Petrapole border, who shared details of the situation in Bangladesh, and how they managed to return amid the chaos.
These residents had gone to the neighbouring nation to meet their family, and said that there was a wave of constant fear due to the violent protests that has caused the deaths of more than 400 people so far. Since morning, scores of people - who went to Bangladesh to meet their families or for other purposes - are returning to safety in India as the unrest escalates in the neighbouring country. The Dhaka-Kolkata direct bus services remain halted.
Kalpana Biswas, who is a resident of New Town in North 24 Parganas, came back to India after her tourist visa expired. However, the timing couldn't have been right because she described the situation in Bangladesh in three words - "Destruction, looting and arson". "I went to Bagerhat to visit a relative.
I saw the mob setting a police van on fire yesterday. No offices or other buildings are there (Bagerhat) any more as everything has been turned to ashes..
. My relatives, who are still there, are gripped in fear," she told Aaj Tak. Another Bengal resident from Nadia district, who went to meet his sister in Bangladesh's Gopalganj, returned hastily due to the unrest.
Arun Kumar Bala also said people in Bangladesh are living in fear. "People are terrified due to the violence," he said. Arun Bala said that his sister and niece - who have jobs in Bangladesh - are fine for now, but the situation is very volatile.
When asked if there are plans for his sister's family, along with her husband - who recently retired - to flee to India, he said that it was going to be difficult. "Their life is there," Arun Kumar Bala told Aaj Tak. He made a tiring journey of going to Khulna early in the morning, and then took an autorickshaw ride to arrive at the Petrapole border.
An ISKCON temple in Meherpur, located in Bangladesh's Khulna division, and a Kali temple were vandalised and set on fire. Another resident, Beauti Das, also from North 24 Parganas, said she was attacked when a mob ransacked a Hindu site on Tuesday night. She somehow managed to flee and come back to India, though her sisters remain in violence-hit Bangladesh.
Hindus have been bearing the mob brunt since Bangladesh unrest escalated in a fresh spell last week. Temples were torched, and two Hindu councillors were killed. On Monday, the 140-year-old house where folk musician Rahul Ananda resided with his family was looted and set ablaze.
The musician and his family fled the attack..
