Won’t ever till my land across Bangla border, says freed farmer
Times of India | 16 May 2025
12 Jalpaiguri: Released from Bangladesh's Lalmonirhat prison after 29 days, Ukil Barman, a resident of Cooch Behar's Sitalkuchi, on Thursday vowed never to cultivate his four-bigha land off the Indo-Bangla barbed wire fence.Barman, in his mid-50s, was kidnapped by Bangladeshi miscreants on April 16 while tilling his own land. He was intercepted by Border Guard Bangladesh. After days of negotiations and multiple flag meetings between BSF and BGB, Barman was allowed to return to India on Wednesday night."I will no longer farm across the border. I will sell all my land. I won't allow my son to farm near the border either. The thought of being imprisoned in Bangladesh is scary. I want to thank BSF and our chief minister," he said.Barman was taken to a local court to testify to his return, a legal formality to formally close the missing diary lodged by his wife.His son Paritosh said: "We will no longer work on our land across the border. We have four bighas of land there, which is our livelihood. We request the Indian govt to acquire our land and compensate us. We don't want to work on Indian land across the border, where we constantly live in fear."Trinamool's Cooch Behar MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia lauded the efforts by Centre and Bengal govt to bring back Barman from Bangladeshi custody. He said BSF and Bengal govt worked in tandem to ensure his return.Junior Union minister and Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar thanked PM Narendra Modi and the Union home and external affairs ministries for bringing back Barman, a Rajbanshi farmer.