Stuck in West Bengal jail since 2018 over ID errors, Jharkhand woman finally meets kin

MIDNAPORE: Nalini Chowdhury received bail in 2018, but till Thursday, she had to stay as an inmate in Midnapore Central Correctional Home. This was due to mistakes in her bail papers which referred to her as Laloni Devi and showed the Jharkhand resident to be from Uttar Pradesh. The mistake, however, stemmed from her EPIC.
In 2017, Chowdhury was held by police as she wandered aimlessly in the high security Kalaikunda Air Force base.It was not known then that the 52-year-old battled mental health issues and had wandered out of her home. Kharagpur Police charged her under IPC sections 447 and sections 3 and 7 of the Official Secrets Act 1923.
In 2018, the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) helped her get bail. "In the last six years, since the grant of bail, DLSA and the Central Correctional Home tried to find the woman's family and communications were sent to the given UP address. However, no reply was received," said Shahid Parvez, secretary, West Midnapore DLSA.
Parvez, however, refused to give up. In Nov, he visited the jail and spoke to Chowdhury. He took the information she had given, did a thorough Google search and with the help of HAM radio operators and coordination with Jharkhand legal aid authorities, located her family. Her husband, Lalji Chowdhury, identified her from a photograph and travelled from Jharkhand's Palamu to Midnapore on Thursday. Her brother, Satyendra Chowdhury, clarified that while her EPIC showed her name to be Laloni Devi, it was a mistake. Her husband revealed that she had been receiving treatment for her mental health issues and her disappearance in 2017 had been reported to local police. Subsequently, arrangements were made for her identification at the jail before approaching the court.
Parvez said, "On Thursday, her family members arrived in Midnapore and on Friday they met Nalini. DLSA furnished the bail bond of Rs 2,000." The family has taken her home.