Eye donation arrest row: Police action a setback for cornea drive, say activists
Telegraph | 11 February 2026
Social workers and science activists across the state on Tuesday strongly condemned the arrest of a Krishnanagar-based schoolteacher who had facilitated the donation of his deceased mother’s eyes in accordance with her formally recorded pledge.
They warned that the police action could send a damaging message to society at a time when eye donation battles deep-rooted taboos. Even today, India has a severe shortage of corneas, with only one cornea available for every 70 required.
The teacher, Amir Chand Sekh, along with five members of his family, including three women, was arrested on charges of “eye theft” following a complaint by one of his neighbours, despite documentary evidence that the corneas of his mother, Rabeya Bibi Sekh, were donated lawfully.
Amir, also a booth-level officer (BLO) under the Krishnanagar South Assembly segment, has been associated with organ donation awareness campaigns for nearly two decades. He was sent to judicial custody for three days on Monday, along with five family members, after being produced in court.
The episode unfolded on Sunday night at Senpur–Shyamnagarpara, on the outskirts of Krishnanagar town, after Rabeya Bibi Sekh, 64, died at home due to age-related ailments. Family members said she had formally pledged in 2024 to donate her organs, including her corneas, through an outfit, Gana Darpan.
Following her death, her elder son Amir contacted Santipur Marami, a social organisation that runs the Ajoy De Memorial Eye Collection Centre. A team of doctors and officials arrived and collected the corneas in keeping with the established medical and ethical protocol.
Trouble began while the family was waiting for relatives to arrive before the burial. Some local residents allegedly confronted and attacked the family, accusing them of selling the deceased woman’s eyes and of being a part of an organ trafficking racket.
As tensions escalated and a scuffle broke out, members of Santipur Marami informed the police. Cops who reached the spot initially claimed that the family was being taken to the Krishnanagar police station for safety from the mob.
The situation took a dramatic turn on Monday when Rasid Shek, Amir's neighbour, lodged a police complaint of corneal theft. Rasid claimed that the deceased woman had been ill-treated by her sons and her eyes had been removed for monetary gain through an organ trafficking network.
Acting on the complaint, police registered a case and arrested six members of the family — Amir, his brothers Abdul and Sabdul, and Abdul’s daughters Manju, Anju and Mohsina.
All were charged with theft and produced in the chief judicial magistrate’s court.
Rabeya’s body was sent to the police morgue for a post-mortem. The post-mortem report, released on Tuesday afternoon, found no evidence of foul play, police said.
Gana Darpan has issued a formal statement confirming that the corneas were retrieved lawfully and ethically, strictly in accordance with the deceased woman’s written consent, calling Rabeya's decision as “an outstanding example of scientific temper and humanitarian values”.
On Tuesday, several hundred social workers and science activists from different organisations staged a demonstration outside the Krishnanagar police station, questioning how a legally documented act of donation could be criminalised and an act of generosity become grounds for arrest and public humiliation.
Kaushik Sarkar, a physician and a member of Jalangi Nadi Samaj, said: “It took almost 50 years to create awareness about organ donation in Bengal, and when the movement is finally gaining momentum, an irresponsible police act has shocked us. It is surprising how the police took cognisance of a complaint far from the truth.”
Dipak Roy, a science activist, said: “Due to the sheer callousness of the police, a social worker has paid the price of his dedicated work with a jail term. The police did not bother to check facts and acted to appease people opposed to eye donation.”
Contacted, superintendent of Krishnanagar police district Amarnath K. defended the police action, saying it was taken to control a volatile situation.
“There was tension over the alleged organ donation, which led to a law and order problem. During the altercation, some people were beaten up. Eventually, a complaint was lodged, and we had to act on it,” he said. “We rescued the family members and took them to the police station. But we had to act to manage the escalating tension.”
The SP added that the police were not aware of the authentication of the eye donation at that point, which, he said, could be verified by the health department.
“Local sentiment was involved.... Keeping the law and order in mind and to resolve the problem immediately, we acted on the complaint. No serious charges were framed against them, and the matter was sent to court, which applied its own logic,” Amarnath said.
The SP's justification enraged activists.
“In India, although around eight million people die each year, only some 15,000 corneas are donated, highlighting a severe shortage. Our endeavour is to minimise this gap through awareness, but Amir's arrest may deal a serious blow to such efforts,” said Somnath, secretary of the Nadia unit of the Paschim Banga Biggyan Mancha.
On the way to court, Amir said he had been falsely implicated. “The corneas were donated according to my mother’s pledge,” he said.