Man From West Bengal Working in Maharashtra Sent to Bangladesh Despite Govt Submitting Citizenship Proof
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Man From West Bengal Working in Maharashtra Sent to Bangladesh Despite Govt Submitting Citizenship Proof
The Wire Staff
2 minutes ago
Despite the fact that the West Bengal police and the Migrant Welfare Board intervened with proof of Sheikh's citizenship, he was pushed across the Bangladesh border by the Border Security Force (BSF).
Border Security Force (BSF) personnel stand guard along the India-Bangladesh border, at Phulbari, on the outskirts of Siliguri. Photo: PTI
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New Delhi: A man from West Bengal's Murshidabad district who had gone to work as a mason in Maharashtra was picked up by the Mumbai police in suspicion of being an undocumented Bangladeshi migrant, and subsequently pushed across the border of Bangladesh.
The man, Mehbub Sheikh, 36, has a wife and three children residing in Hossainnagar village in Mahisasthali gram panchayat area of Bhagabangola in Murshidabad district of West Bengal, reported Indian Express.
Despite the fact that the West Bengal police and the Migrant Welfare Board intervened with proof of Sheikh's citizenship, he was pushed across the Bangladesh border by the Border Security Force (BSF). The Maharashtra police had handed Sheikh over to the BSF.
'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. He has a wife and three children. We just want him back. We don't know how long he can survive in Bangladesh,' 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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