Flight from Mirpur
Sarla Dutta was thirteen when her family attempted to leave Mirpur on foot. Her father was killed during the attack, and she was separated from her mother.
Captivity and a chance to be found
She was taken with other girls, forcibly converted and made to work in a household for seven months. When soldiers came searching for abducted girls, she was told to hide inside a seed drum. Instead, she pushed her hand outward and called for help, making herself visible to the search party.
Waiting for family
After leaving captivity, she travelled with a large group of refugees to a camp at Datyal. Reunion was not immediate: she waited about a year before finding her family. When the man who had held her later asked her to return, she refused.
Editorial noteA final page should link the original testimony and clarify how the account was recorded, translated and edited.