Bengal Man Pushed Into Bangladesh Despite Citizenship Proof, Police Bring Back Him, Three Others

New Delhi: The West Bengal police on Monday (June 16) brought back four individuals – three permanent residents of Murshidabad district, and one from Bardhaman – who were pushed across the Bangladesh border by Indian authorities despite the fact that they are India citizens.

The individuals were recently detained by the Maharashtra police on suspicion of being undocumented Bangladeshis and thereafter handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) which had pushed them across the Bangladesh border.

Murshidabad police said in a statement on Monday that they conducted local enquiries to establish the Indian citizenship of the individuals. After verification, relevant documents and proof of citizenship were submitted to the BSF.

"Later, BSF conducted urgent flag meeting today with BGB (Border Guard Bangladesh) and finally brought all four individuals from Bangladesh and handed them over to Coochbehar police on Indian side just few hours ago. A team from Murshidabad district police has already been dispatched to bring them back. All four individuals are expected to return home safely by tomorrow," said the Murshidabad police in a statement.

The four individuals who have been brought back have been identified as Mehbub Sheikh, Nazimuddin Mondal, Minarul Sheikh and Mostafa Kamal Sheikh.

Earlier, Indian Express had reported that despite the fact that the West Bengal police and the Migrant Welfare Board intervened with proof of the citizenship of one of the four men – Mehbub Sheikh, 36, – he was pushed across the Bangladesh border by the Border Security Force (BSF), after being handed over by the Maharashtra police.

Sheikh has a wife and three children residing in Hossainnagar village in Mahisasthali gram panchayat area of Bhagabangola in Murshidabad district of West Bengal.

'They didn’t even bother to inform the West Bengal government'

“After Sheikh’s family approached us, we contacted the Maharashtra Police. All the (required) documents were sent to them. They didn’t even bother to inform the West Bengal government, and Sheikh was pushed into Bangladesh by the BSF,” said Samirul Islam, chairman of West Bengal Migrant Welfare Board.

Sheikh’s brother Mujibur told the newspaper that for the past two years, he was working in Maharashtra.

“While he was having tea, police picked him up, suspecting him to be a Bangladeshi, and took him to Kanakia police station,” said Mujibur.

The family members said that they had sent all documents to Maharashtra Police, including Sheikh’s voter card, Aadhaar Card, ration card, and his family tree, running generations and certified by the panchayat.

On Saturday (June 14) Sheikh called his family informing them that BSF pushed him into Bangladesh at 3.30 am.

“He said that he was pushed into Bangladesh by the BSF around 3.30 am on Saturday. He took shelter in a village from where he made the call. He was crying,” said his brother Mujibur.

Defending their actions, the Maharashtra said that Sheikh “failed” to give documents to prove his nationality, adding that they don’t consider Aadhaar and PAN cards for proving citizenship.

At the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, hundreds of people suspected to be undocumented migrants have been sent to Bangladesh through the eastern border as part of India’s “push back” strategy.

Across the country, the police have been conducting drives to identify undocumented migrants. The Foreign Ministry of Bangladesh had earlier sent a letter to India on May 8 “raising concern over people being pushed into the country and urged New Delhi to adhere to established repatriation mechanisms”.

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