KOLKATA: A 38-year-old Bangladeshi woman , rescued by police in Bengal after being found wandering aimlessly , was finally sent home on Monday after a collaborative initiative by police civil society and the judicial system. Solma Begum's family was there at the border to receive her.Her story was that of the plight of many caught in bureaucratic tangle on both sides of the border. Solma was found in April, 2015, in Sarati village in Arambagh district, in a mentally unstable state. After counselling, she began to recover and was able to recall her family. The head counsellor of the shelter home managed contacted them and procures all the requisite documents. Bangladesh Legal Aid Services Trust then contacted the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), said Madhurima Dhanuka, Consultant, West Bengal chapter of Prisons Reform Programme of CHRI.After following up with the Bangladesh deputy high commission in Kolkata and various visits to the state home department, her nationality was verified and a repatriation order was issued in December 2016.It took over a year and persistent advocacy by CHRI and its partners, along with government officials, civil society and the media, to bring her case to this juncture.CHRI's latest report breaks down the statistics provided by the National Crime Record Bureau, indicating there were 6,185 foreign prisoners in India as on December 31, 2015. Bengal's prisons house more than half, of which 98% are Bangladeshi nationals. Solma had once said, "Coming here is easy, going back is difficult."

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