Malda youth returns weeks after being deported to Bangladesh

A 19-year-old migrant worker from West Bengal's Malda district, who was detained in Rajasthan in June and later deported to Bangladesh, has returned home, according to his family and local leaders.

The case gained attention after a video of Amir Sheikh, recorded in Bangladesh, surfaced on social media, The Indian Express reported. 

Amir, a resident of Jalalpur village under Kaliachowk police station, had travelled to Rajasthan to work as a construction labourer but lost contact with his family following his arrest on 19 June. His mother passed away five years ago, while his father works as a migrant labourer in Uttar Pradesh.

"We are happy that he will be back home. We never expected to see his face again. We did not know whether he would survive in Bangladesh. How he stayed there so long is a miracle," Amir's uncle, Ajmal Sheikh, told The Indian Express over the phone from Malda.

Ajmal said the family first learned of his whereabouts after seeing the video last month. 

"We got a call last evening from someone in Basirhat. I did not know who he was. We then spoke with Amir on a video call. I identified him. He said he was in a Bangladeshi jail. Then we were told that he would be brought back. This morning, we received another call stating that he is with the BSF. We are waiting for further instructions," he added.

In a video message, Isha Khan Choudhury, Congress MP from Malda Dakshin, confirmed that central agencies and the Border Security Force (BSF) had traced Amir. 

"We are happy to share with the people of the constituency and press colleagues that a wrongly expelled Indian citizen was traced in Bangladesh by the central government and BSF," she said. 

"After being detained in the labour camp in Rajasthan, Mr Amir Sheikh is being released today. BSF ADG of West Bengal told me that Amir Sheikh is now in BSF control. They will inform the family today about the development."

Choudhury said she had earlier spoken to the home secretary and BSF DG about the case. 

"I hope such an incident never takes place in the country. Indian citizens can travel throughout the country. It is a fundamental right. It is sad that the person was arrested and deported. But today is a happy day that he has been brought back to India."

Samirul Islam, TMC Rajya Sabha MP and chairman of the West Bengal Migrant Labour Welfare Board, said his team had been supporting the family since Amir's deportation. 

"Amir Sk, a migrant worker from Malda's Kaliachak, was deported to Bangladesh by the Rajasthan police. Since his deportation, we have been with the family from day one, extending all kinds of support to them. We also helped his father move the Calcutta High Court with a habeas corpus petition. Following the petition, top Rajasthan government officials and those from the Centre were summoned by the court. The case was scheduled to be heard tomorrow," he said.

"As interestingly, there was no way to repatriate Amir except through legal intervention, as he had been tagged under a case involving illegal entry into Bangladesh. Amid such a situation, the central government is now trying to repatriate Amir Sheikh to his Malda home to save face and avoid the legal blow for the illegal pushback," he added.

Asif Faruk, state general secretary of the Parijayi Sramik Aikya Manch, called for systemic change to prevent such incidents. 

"One has to do something so that this trend of pushing out our Bengal residents to Bangladesh stops. There should be proper rehabilitation for such victims," he said.

In the video from last month, Amir is seen speaking to locals in Bangladesh, giving his West Bengal address, and alleging that he had been detained for two months before being sent across the border.

The incident is part of a wider pattern. In June, seven West Bengal residents were detained in Mumbai and later pushed into Bangladesh by the BSF. Following intervention from the state government, four youths from Murshidabad, one from Purba Bardhaman, and a couple from North 24 Parganas were brought back.