3 West Bengal residents allegedly pushed into Bangladesh by BSF, return following state government intervention
After the West Bengal government raised the issue, the workers were repatriated to India through the Mekhliganj border in Bangladesh last afternoon
Three residents of West Bengal working in Mumbai who were allegedly pushed into Bangladesh by the Border Security Force (BSF) earlier this week and yesterday (15 June) returned to India through the Cooch Behar district, following intervention by the state government.
Minajul Sheikh, a resident of Beldanga in Murshidabad district, told The Hindu that his brother, Minarul Sheikh, had been picked up from Mumbai, where he was employed, and was later forcibly taken across the border into Bangladesh.
"We got a call from one of the men in the group saying Minarul is in Bangladesh. We have approached the police at the Beldanga Police Station and the police assured us that they will return soon," Minajul said.
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Not only Minarul Sheikh, at least two other workers were pushed into Bangladesh. The three workers — Minraul Sheikh and Nizamuddin Sheikh from Murshidabad and Mostafa Kamal Sheikh from Purba Bardhaman — also sent a video message to their relatives where they can be heard pleading before Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and other public representatives of the State to ensure their return to India, The Hindu reports.
After the West Bengal government raised the issue, the workers were repatriated to India through the Mekhliganj border in Bangladesh last afternoon. Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member and Chairperson of West Bengal Migrant Welfare Board Samirul Islam said when the workers were picked up by the police in Mumbai, all necessary documents were provided by the State government.
"What has happened is very unfortunate and illegal. These are citizens of India and cannot be illegally pushed into Bangladesh in such a manner," Mr. Islam said.
Officer-in-Charge of the Mekhliganj Police Station Mani Bhusan Sarkar said that after he received information from police stations in Murshidabad and Bardhaman about the Indian nationals in Bangladesh, he informed authorities of the BSF and Border Guard Bangladesh.
"The three men were handed over to us [Mekhliganj police station] after a flag meeting at the border," the OC said.
According to sources, the three men were pushed into Bangladesh on Friday night somewhere along North Bengal and Bangladesh border.
Over the past several months, India has been "pushing back" undocumented Bangladeshi migrants detained across the country through the eastern border. The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has expressed concern to India about the "push back" of individuals across the border, particularly undocumented migrants.
There is no official word about the "push back" from the BSF. While instances of the "push back" of Bangladeshi nationals has come to the fore in Assam and Tripura, on this occasion, nationals of West Bengal were pushed into Bangladesh.
