Four Muslim migrant labourers from West Bengal were detained by the Maharashtra police under suspicion of being illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
Mehbub Sheikh, Nazimuddin Mondal of Hariharpura, Minarul Sheikh of Beldanga, and Mostafa Kamal Sheikh of Bardhaman were reportedly pushed across the border by the Border Security Forces (BSF) early morning on June 14, despite having their citizenship proof. The men were detained in Thane while having tea on June 11. Police took them to the Kanakia police station.
All individuals were transferred cross-border via the BSF camp near Siliguri.
Murshidabad police immediately launched an investigation to verify the necessary documents to establish the Indian citizenship of the four individuals. Verified documents and proof of citizenship were submitted to the BSF.
After much coordination and clarification between the Murshidabad police and the BSF, the authorities held an urgent flag meeting with their Bangladeshi counterparts, following which, all four men were released into the custody of Indian authorities at Cooch Behar on Sunday, June 15.
Thirty-six-year-old Mehbub Sheikh hails from West Bengal’s Murshidabad district. He had been working as a mason in Thane for two years.
“He called us from Kanakia police station. We immediately informed the local police, administration, panchayat pradhan, and migrant welfare board, who said they were in touch with the Maharashtra Police, and by Friday we sent all documents, including Mehbub Sheikh’s voter card, Aadhaar card, ration card, and even our family tree certified by the panchayat to the Maharashtra police,” Mujibur, Sheikh’s brother, told the Indian Express.
Mujibur said the BSF refused to listen to him. “My brother 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,” he said.
The West Bengal government alleges that despite intervention from the state police and state migrant welfare board, the migrant workers were deported.
Chairman of West Bengal Migrant Welfare Board, Samirul Islam, said that although Sheikh’s family and West Bengal state authorities took all measures, the Maharashtra Police transferred him to a BSF border camp near Siliguri. “They did not bother to inform the West Bengal police about the deportation,” he told reporters.
Mira Road police senior inspector Meghna Burade stated that the police were “not at fault” and that they were acting under the orders of the police commissioner. “Generally, we don’t consider Aadhaar and PAN cards for this purpose, as they can be fraudulently obtained. Hence, we asked him to produce his birth certificate or any strong proof. 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,” the police officer said.
