Govt moves to locate Biharis lodged in Pakistan jails

PATNA: The state government has approached the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to locate two persons from Bihar lodged in Pakistan jails. The family members of Raju Rai and Raju Mahauli, from East Champaran and Banka district, respectively, had approached the state home department which sent their details to the MHA for further action in January.
Principal secretary (home) Amir Subhani on Tuesday said the state machinery is trying to ascertain the identity of Bihar natives lodged in Pakistan jails."Confirmed information is yet to be received," he said.
More than 17 Indians have been languishing in Pakistan jails due to lack of citizenship identity. "They can be released only when the Union government hands over their citizenship papers to its Pakistani counterpart. According to a report sent to state governments by the foreign division of the MHA, all the prisoners are now mentally challenged due to unknown reasons," said a source, adding, "We think their torture after arrest caused their present condition."
Family members of Raju Rai, a native of village Bhuvanchapra under Chakia police station in East Champaran, approached the district administration with his voter identity card, claiming that he had gone to Ludhiana in Punjab almost 18 years ago for work but never returned.
As far as Raju Mahauli's case is concerned, state home department sources said one Sadia Devi (77) of Banka district approached them claiming that he was her son. But, the state home department officials quoted the Indian officials who had met him in a Pakistan jail and told Sadia that the man might be from West Bengal as he knew Jheelpara locality in Kolkata only. According to the official reports, Raju also has a faint memory of his two sisters whose name he recalled as Mohmita and Meena. Reports say Raju knows the name of former CM of West Bengal Jyoti Basu.
Indian officials had visited several jails in Pakistan, including Kot Lakhpat jail (Central Jail, Lahore), last year. On the basis of the report prepared by these officials, the Union government assessed that Raju Mahauli and Roopi Pal were natives of West Bengal, Sonu Singh hails from Madhya Pradesh, Surinder Mahto and Shyam Sundar from Bihar, a deaf and dumb prisoner is suspected to be from Bimbar in Kashmir, Naqaya alias Nikja might be somewhere from Uttar Pradesh or Bihar, Asma Muskand of North India, Ajmeera alias Anmira might be anywhere from Bihar, West Bengal or northeast India, Hasina alias Shehzaadi from Maharashtra, Silrof Salim and Raju from Madhya Pradesh, Prahlad from Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh or bordering area of Uttar Pradesh, Ramesh from Porbander in Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh or Bihar, Panwasi Lal and Bipin alias Vipla from UP and Birchu alias Birju is a tribal Christian from Odisha. The list contains three more persons the Indian officials could not name.