Mumtaz Begum’s whereabouts are confirmed to be secure in Bangladesh, according to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Her son Momruz Ali, 26, told TOI on Wednesday that he has had no contact with his mother and received no official communication from authorities about her whereabouts.
“The CM (Sarma) says he knows she is safe. ..but we have no way to find out,” he said, adding, “We are just an ordinary family with little means. How will we ever find her?”
TOI exclusively reported on Sept 29 that Bangladesh’s home ministry had begun searching for Mumtaz after the newspaper reached out to authorities in that country.
Ali’s plea to the Assam and Indian govts is simple: find his mother – “in Assam, India or Bangladesh”. If she is alive, he said, “she has to be on either side”. “The CM, in a press conference, said two years ago that people cross over and return. We believe in courts,” he said. He said the family had all documents relating to Mumtaz and even her parents that they believe establish her Indian citizenship.
“It’s the govt’s job. Assam Police must take responsibility for finding her. In that case, they should search in Assam also. Why only Bangladesh? Ali asked. Sarma’s claim came as the case became a political flashpoint, with Cong’s Gaurav Gogoi writing to external affairs minister S Jaishankar seeking intervention to trace Mumtaz and another Assam woman, Jahanara Begum, and facilitate their return. “We don’t support any party. We only support the law. “If an Indian citizen has been pushed into Bangladesh, India and Bangladesh—if they search in both places—can find her. They took her information. They were the ones who sent her away. Now they are avoiding responsibility.