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The Wire
11 hours ago
- The Wire
Man From West Bengal Working in Maharashtra Sent to Bangladesh Despite Govt Submitting Citizenship Proof
Menu हिंदी తెలుగు اردو Home Politics Economy World Security Law Science Society Culture Editor's Pick Opinion Support independent journalism. Donate Now Top Stories 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 Real journalism holds power accountable Since 2015, The Wire has done just that. But we can continue only with your support. Contribute now 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'. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments. Make a contribution to Independent Journalism Related News Assam Govt's Recent Actions Are Similar to the Anti-Muslim Atmosphere Witnessed in the State in 1965 Amid Bangladesh's Objection, India Continues to 'Push Back' Undocumented Migrants Across Border Activists, Lawyers, Academics Condemn 'Push Back' of Persons to Bangladesh From Assam 'Spent Last Few Days In Terror': Assam Women Allegedly Pushed Into Bangladesh Speak Up Pahalgam Attack and the Impact of Populism on National Security Assam's Policy of Push Back To Handle Alleged Foreigners Is Illegal: Sanjay Hegde Over 700 Undocumented Bangladeshi Migrants in Delhi Sent Back in Last Six Months Fighting Terrorism Demands Partnership, Not Primacy Perhaps, This is Why The Innocent Men-Tourists Died in Pahalgam About Us Contact Us Support Us © Copyright. All Rights Reserved.
Scroll.in
13 hours ago
- Scroll.in
Bengali man in Thane sent to Bangladesh despite family, government giving citizenship proof: Report
A man from West Bengal who had been living in Mira Road near Mumbai for work was detained by the Maharashtra Police on allegations of being an undocumented Bangladeshi migrant, and pushed into the neighbouring country by the Border Security Force on Saturday, The Indian Express reported. The West Bengal government said that the man – a 36-year-old mason Mehbub Sheikh – was pushed into Bangladesh even though the West Bengal Police and the state's Migrant Welfare Board had furnished documents proving that he was an Indian citizen. Sheikh's family said he had been living in Maharashtra for the past two years, and had been staying in the Mira Road area of Thane district, according to The Indian Express. The family members said that they live in the Hossainnagar village in West Bengal's Murshidabad district. Sheikh was taken into custody on the suspicion of being a Bangladeshi on June 11 while he was drinking tea in Mira Road, and was taken to the city's Kanakia police station, his younger brother Mujibur said. 'He called us from Kanakia police station,' Mujibur told the newspaper. 'We immediately informed the local police and administration, as well as our panchayat pradhan and the migrant welfare board. They said they were in touch with the Maharashtra Police.' He said that by June 13, the family had sent documents proving his citizenship and lineage in India to the Maharashtra Police. However, Shabbir Ahmed, the head of the Mahisasthali gram panchayat in Murshidabad, told The Indian Express that they were told that day that Sheikh had been sent to a Border Security Force camp in West Bengal's Siliguri district. Some residents of the village rushed to the camp, but the security forces did not entertain their pleas for help, he said. Sheikh's family said that on June 14, he called them from Bangladesh, telling them that he had been pushed into the country by the Border Security Force around 3.30 am. 'He has a wife and three children,' his brother Mujibur told the newspaper. 'We just want him back. We don't know how long he can survive in Bangladesh.' The Maharashtra Police claimed that Sheikh failed to provide documents proving his citizenship. The police said that they do not consider Aadhaar and PAN cards as evidence of citizenship. '…We asked him to produce his birth certificate or any strong proof,' Meghna Burade, senior inspector at the Mira Road police station, told The Indian Express. 'But he failed to produce the same and also did not provide any other document or his family's documents to support his claim that he is Indian.' Samirul Islam, the head of the West Bengal Migrant Welfare Board, claimed that authorities in Maharashtra did not inform them about Sheikh being sent to a BSF camp, and then to Bangladesh. Over the past month, Indian authorities have been pursuing a policy to push individuals claimed to be undocumented migrants into Bangladesh. India has pushed back more than 2,000 persons into Bangladesh since the country launched ' Operation Sindoor ', a military operation against terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The legality of the 'push back' policy has been debated in India and internationally. Experts have told Scroll that the policy violated India's obligations under international law and customary international law.
