Staff Reporter :
At least 1,850 Bangladeshis are in Indian jails while some 63 people identified as Bangladeshis are in Myanmar jails, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen told Jatiya Sangsad on Sunday.
The minister answered a question put by treasury bench Member of Parliament Didarul Alam during the question-answer session.
Momen said that at least 1,850 Bangladeshis were in various Indian jails and they were held mostly on the charge of irregular stay in India.
He also said that the government of Bangladesh will provide legal assistance after verifying them through the Bangladesh Missions in India if the authorities concerned were given information about the detention of Bangladeshis in Indian jail or any other places.
The Bangladesh missions in India regularly visit different jails, police stations and other centres and they provide legal assistance and ensure health and other facilities for them as per jail code after their verification, the minister said.
In addition, the missions also work for the quick disposal of the cases and make arrangement for return of the jailed people soon after the expiration of their punishment, he said.
In some cases, Bangladesh talks to the Indian government over the repatriation of the released persons through mediation.
Besides, the minister said, the government has formed the Rescue, Recovery, Repatriation and Integration (RRRI) Task Force to prevent trafficking of women and children between Bangladesh and India, he added.
Momen said that this Task Force worked for the repatriation of the trafficked women and children in India.
On the other hand, at least 63 people identified as Bangladeshis are also detained in Myanmar and they are serving different terms on the charge of illegal entry, Foreign Minister said.
The convicted people would be repatriated once their sentences expired, he added.
Out of the 63 detained in Myanmar, 13 have been confirmed to have Bangladeshi citizenship while the verification of the citizenship of the remaining 50 people is underway.
