KRISHNAGANJ: The family of Ila Mandal, who died at a border village in West Bengal's Nadia district, wanted her relatives on the other side of the barbed wires to see her for a last time.
Her dying wish was fulfilled as BSF arranged to take the body to the Zero Point on the border where her relatives from Bangladesh were waiting for a last glimpse of the 70-year-old woman.
Mandal, a resident of Matiari village in Krishnaganj police station area, died on Thursday.
Many of her relatives live in Chuadanga on the other side of the border in Bangladesh.
Mandal's family reached out to the border force, requesting permission so that their Bangladeshi relatives manage to pay homage to her body before it is cremated.
The BSF soon got in touch with the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), which arranged for the relatives to visit the Zero Point.
The BSF helped the family in bringing the body to the spot where they paid their last respect.
"Besides guarding the border, BSF also stays with the people in their pain and pleasure," said Desh Raj Singh, the BSF commanding officer of the area.
Tens of thousands of families were split when India was partitioned in 1947, leading to the creation of East Pakistan -- which subsequently became Bangladesh.
West Bengal shares a 2,217-km-long border with Bangladesh, besides language, culture and culinary habits.