They were picked up in Mumbai last month on suspicion of being illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and pushed into the neighbouring country. They were later brought to their native West Bengal following intervention from the state government, but they plan to return to Mumbai despite the ordeal. The reason is simple — they see a much better chance of making ends meet and providing for their families while working in the city.
“There is nothing for us here (in Bengal), no job. For years, we have worked outside, where the pay is almost double. Yes, I am scared to leave Bengal — I still remember the time when we had to sleep under the open sky in Bangladesh after we were pushed out of the country — but when I look at my children, I am more scared. How will I provide for them? I am planning to return (to Mumbai), come what may,” said Mehbub Sheikh (36) from Bhagabangola in Bengal’s Murshidabad district, who worked as a construction worker in Mumbai.
Apart from Mehbub, Nazimuddin Mondol, Minarul Sheikh, Shamim Khan, Mostafa Kamal Sheikh, Fazar Mondol and his wife Taslima, were detained in Mumbai in June on suspicion of being Bangladeshis who illegally moved to India. On June 14, at around 3 am, they were pushed into Bangladesh, where they spent two nights, before they were brought back to India to their home state of West Bengal.
The ordeal has upended the lives of these seven individuals, some of whom still have small businesses to run or contracts to fulfil back in Mumbai.
One of them, Minarul Sheikh, has already returned to the city. The others are busy trying to get their documents, such as Aadhaar cards and PAN cards, issued before going back. Their existing documents, they claimed, had been seized by authorities (including their cellphones) .
TMC Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam, chairman of the West Bengal government’s Migrant Labour Welfare Board, said: “I had spoken to them and told them that we will arrange for a job for them in Bengal. But they are free citizens who have the right to work anywhere in India.”
Mehbub Sheikh explained the simple economics that draw them back to Mumbai despite the experience of having been branded illegal immigrants by authorities there.
“It is not hard to get Rs 1,200-1,400 per day in Mumbai with a little bit of extra work. There, you also get months of work continuously. Here, it is just Rs 500 (a day) in my village and Rs 700 in Kolkata. That, too, you don’t get work consistently. I have a setup in Mumbai. I owe people about Rs 1 lakh, which I had taken to pay advances to other labourers who work with me,” said Mehbub.
“I have two children who take private tuition. How will I pay for it?” he asked.
Minarul Sheikh (30) from Beldanga in Murshidabad, who is already back in Mumbai, has debts to pay and a business to run, his family said. “A week after he was brought back from Bangladesh, he left for Delhi. Now, he is in Mumbai. He told us that he owes money to a lot of people. He has been in the business of hair cutting, and for years, worked in Mumbai and Delhi. His business cannot be done sitting at home,” said Monijul Sheikh, Minarul’s elder brother, who works as a mason in Assam.
Mostafa Kamal Sheikh (53), who ran a jhalmuri stand in Mumbai, has a similar story. He says he has been working in the city since 1999 and lived in a rented room at Nalasopara before he was detained and pushed into Bangladesh.
“I have a regular business of selling jhalmuri there, and regular clients. I have given a Rs 16,000 deposit for the room that I rent (for Rs 4,000 a month). Everything is there, and only for festivals do I return home,” Mostafa Kamal said.
“After they took my cell phone and documents, I got a new SIM card from here and also renewed my Aadhaar card. I will apply for a police clearance certificate and when I get it, I will leave the next day,” he said.
Another one of the seven, 29-year-old Shamim Khan, said he would also go back to Mumbai as soon as he gets his documents renewed. “I have a wife and a child to take care of. I have an aged mother to take care of. On July 25, my mother will undergo gallbladder stone surgery. There is a cost involved. There isn’t much work here, and the pay is low. In Mumbai, I made Rs 30,000 monthly,” he explained.
“The local MLA and panchayat members came to meet me after I was brought back from Bangladesh. But they will not give me a job, will they? So, I will go back after I get my documents renewed,” Shamim, from Hariharpara in Murshidabad, said.
Tahajul Mondol’s son Fazar (21) and daughter-in-law Taslima (19) had also been pushed into Bangladesh. He said he would also go to Mumbai now, along with the younger couple.
“They are construction workers and I am a plumber. To bring my son and his wife back home (after they were pushed into Bangladesh), I had to go to Mekhliganj (from where police handed the couple over to their family). The trip cost Rs 24,000, and I had to take out a loan. They had gone to Mumbai to work just five months ago. I have been working in Karnataka for the last three years,” said Tahajul, adding, “We cannot stay here as there is no proper job.”
Nazimuddin Mondol from Hariharpara in Murshidabad said he has to collect payments from several people for work done in Mumbai. “I worked as a mason and was a labour contractor. People in Mumbai owe me Rs 3-4 lakh in payments. I cannot afford to lose that, so I will go back,” he said.
“In accordance with their skill and the quality of life they are living, there is not sufficient scope or jobs here in Bengal. It is natural that simple monetary economics will rule over fear of persecution,” said Arnab Pal, convener of Parijayi Sramik Aikya Manch.