Bengal couple who went to Maha for work pushed into B'desh
Kolkata: A young couple from Bengal's North 24 Parganas who had gone to Maharashtra for work was picked up by police on suspicion of being illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and handed over to Border Security Force (BSF), who then pushed them into Bangladesh, despite the couple producing documents to prove their identity as Indian citizens, the couple's family claimed.
A BSF official said the matter was being handled by the North Bengal Frontier and declined further comment.
Sources said Fazer Mondal (in his 20s) and his wife Taslima, from Hariharpur in Bagdah, had moved to Maharashtra after Fazer found a construction job in the state in Jan. Earlier this month, Maharashtra's Naya Nagar police detained the duo during a drive to identify illegal immigrants.
The couple had reportedly presented to cops their Aadhaar and voter IDs claiming they were Bengal residents, but their claims were allegedly dismissed.
On June 10, Fazer's father Tahajul Mondal received a call from Naya Nagar police asking for more documents. Tahajul said he promptly submitted birth and school certificates to support their Indian citizenships, but the couple was not released.
On Saturday, the couple's family members received a call from Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB) informing them that the couple had been found in Bangladesh, near the South Dinajpur India-Bangladesh border.
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"This is a nightmare. We have no idea how to bring them back," said Fazer's mother Latifa Mondal.
Since receiving the call, the family has been running pillar to post. They have approached the Bagdah police, panchayat authorities and the district administration for help. Bagdah MLA Madhurparna Thakur has stepped up and assured the family of support.
"I have collected documents from the family and initiated legal steps.
All efforts are being made to bring them back safely," Thakur said. She called the incident a "deliberate move driven by an anti-Bengali mindset."
"This was done just because they spoke Bengali. The couple was put in danger despite holding Indian documents. I strongly protest this unethical and inhuman act," she added.
She further suggested that the deportation was politically motivated saying, "Why were they deported despite valid papers? This seems to be aimed at discrediting Bengal ahead of elections."
Samirul Islam, chairman of the West Bengal Migrant Workers' Welfare Board, said similar incidents have been reported from other districts as well. "On June 10, we were informed that migrant workers from Malda, Murshidabad and East Burdwan were detained in Mumbai. We sent all relevant documents, yet five people were handed over to BSF without informing us," he said.
He said that following chief minister Mamata Banerjee's directions, efforts are on to bring deported workers back. "Is speaking Bengali a crime now? This is painful and shameful," he added. Bengal BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya, however, defended the BSF. "We believe the BSF does not act in a wrong way. Only BSF authorities can clarify the full details," he said.
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