A 19-year-old migrant worker from West Bengal has allegedly been pushed into Bangladesh after being detained in Rajasthan.
The incident came to light after a purported video of the man, identified as Amir Sheikh from Jalalpur village under Kaliachowk police station in Malda, went viral on social media earlier this week. The family has lodged a formal complaint with the West Bengal Police.
This comes at a time when the Trinamool Congress is protesting in Parliament over the alleged harassment and detention of migrant workers from Bengal in various states during ongoing drives against alleged illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to lead a protest rally in Kolkata on July 27.
In the video, accessed by The Indian Express, Sheikh is seen speaking to residents in Bangladesh. He identifies himself, shares his West Bengal address, and alleges that after being detained for two months, he was recently sent across the border into Bangladesh.
“This is most unfortunate. Earlier too, Indian citizens from West Bengal were labelled as Bangladeshis and pushed into that country. We were able to bring some of them back through state government intervention. This cannot continue. I have spoken with the family members over the phone. Our government is trying. We may also go for legal recourse,” said Samirul Islam, chairman of the West Bengal Migrant Welfare Board and TMC Rajya Sabha MP, speaking to The Indian Express from Delhi.
Officials in the West Bengal administration said they are in touch with authorities in Rajasthan. According to Amir’s family, he had travelled to Rajasthan three months ago in search of work.
“About two months ago, we were told by the contractor that he had been detained as an illegal Bangladeshi national. He had documents with him, like an Aadhaar card and birth certificate, which he showed. But they still put him in a detention camp. On Tuesday, we saw a video on social media of him,” said Muhammad Ajmal Sheikh, Amir’s uncle, speaking over the phone from Malda.
“We were shocked. Later yesterday, police officials came to our house and took all Amir’s documents,” he said. “We went to the police station and submitted a written complaint. We’ve lived here for generations, and Amir has all the documents. We want our boy back.”
Family members said Amir lost his mother five years ago. His father, Muhammad Jim Sheikh, currently works as a migrant labourer in Uttar Pradesh.
“We have written to the district magistrate of Malda to take immediate steps to bring the boy back from Bangladesh. I personally visited the home of the migrant and spoke to his family members. They lost all contact with him after his detention two months ago,” said Asif Faruk, state general secretary (WB) of the Parijayi Sramik Aikya Manch (Migrant Workers’ Unity Forum).
This incident comes in the wake of several similar cases across states like Haryana, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi, and Madhya Pradesh. On June 14, seven residents of West Bengal were detained in Mumbai and later pushed into Bangladesh by the BSF. Following intervention by the Bengal government, four youths from Murshidabad, one from Purba Bardhaman, and a husband-wife duo from North 24 Parganas were brought back from Bangladesh.