‘Intrusion’: A phone call changed the love story of Bangladeshi Kajol and Indian youth

Did Kajol have regular contact with the family in Bangladesh?

In response to this question, Tarun Patel said, “Kajal used to communicate with her mother occasionally. On the day of the phone call that was tracked, Kajol was looking for her mother on the phone, her mother underwent surgery.”

“He cried and told me that he had to talk to his mother. So I made an ISD call from my mobile phone. My wife just wanted to know how his mother was doing. She asked – ‘Mom, how are you? How is your body? Nothing serious?’ That’s it, that’s all. Only that one call was tracked. He didn’t call the wrong place.”

Anand District Superintendent of Police G.G. Jasani told BBC Gujarati correspondent Nachiketa Mehta, “It is proven that Kajol is living in Gujarat illegally. She had no passport or marriage proof when she came to Gujarat from Bangladesh.”

In 2012, Tarun met Kazuli from a village called Gopalpur in Bangladesh on Facebook. Their friendship turns into love and they decide to get married.

Tarun Patel asked him to produce a passport and come to Gujarat. But Kajuli’s parents pressure her to marry a Bangladeshi man.

Kajuli paid 12-13 thousand rupees to a broker to get the passport made but ended up being cheated.

Faced with family pressure, he escaped from Bangladesh and reached Kolkata and from there moved to Ananda in Gujarat. Then they exchanged garlands and got married. Kajuli changed her name to ‘Kajal’.

Stating that their marriage was not legally registered due to lack of necessary documents, Tarun said, “We never thought that it would cause problems later. It was not possible for him to bring the necessary documents in that situation.”

Tarun also said that Kajal, a Muslim, converted to Hinduism after marriage. He fears that if Kajol is sent back to her home country, her parents will not accept her anymore.

Since Kajol’s arrest, Tarun and his family are in emotional turmoil. Kajol is currently staying at a women’s protection center in Anand.

Tarun said, “My children are crying every day, asking when their mother will return. I have no answer. If she is sent back to Bangladesh, our family will be completely broken.”

Kajol’s mother-in-law Induben said, “Ever since Kajol left, no one in our family is eating properly. The children are crying all the time. Kajol was not just a daughter-in-law to me, she was like my own daughter.”

“What happened is not right… I just pray that Kajal comes back home.”

Kajal is kept in a home called ‘Jagruti Mahila Sangathan’.

Asha Dalal, president of Jagrit Mahila Sanghatan, told BBC Gujarati, “Kajal is always under stress and often cries. She is always thinking about her family, especially her two sons. Her only fear is that if she is sent back to Bangladesh, she will never be able to return to India.”

“We sometimes allow her to visit her children from a distance subject to permission from the authorities. This gives her some relief. But she is upset all the time. We are trying to console her and keep her calm. Currently we are looking after Kajol. Further steps will be taken as per government and court directions.”