A migrant labourer from West Bengal has reportedly been forcibly pushed across the India-Bangladesh border after being wrongly identified as an illegal Bangladeshi national by authorities in Rajasthan, a BJP-ruled state in western India.
The worker, identified as Amir Sheikh, is a resident of Kaliachak in West Bengal’s Malda district. According to his family, Sheikh had travelled to Rajasthan nearly three months ago in search of work. He reportedly spoke only Bengali, which is being cited as one of the reasons for his alleged detention by local police.
Despite possessing valid identity documents including an Aadhaar card proving his Indian citizenship, Sheikh was reportedly arrested by Rajasthan police on suspicion of being an illegal immigrant from Bangladesh. His family alleges that the authorities ignored his documentation and instead transferred him to a detention facility. In a startling twist, Sheikh was later allegedly taken to the India-Bangladesh border in Basirhat, North 24 Parganas — over 1,800 kilometres away from Rajasthan — and forcibly handed over to Bangladesh authorities through what is known as a “pushback”. The process of “pushback” is typically used for illegal immigrants crossing into India, not for citizens within the country. Most disturbingly, his family claims he was thrown across the barbed wire fencing using a payload crane — an act they have condemned as “inhumane” and “criminal”. Reports say Sheikh has since surfaced in Bangladesh’s Satkhira district, from where he released a video on social media, asserting his Indian identity and narrating his ordeal. The incident has triggered widespread outrage, especially in West Bengal, where political and civil society groups are demanding an inquiry into the apparent violation of a citizen’s rights. “This is not just a question of mistaken identity — it is a shocking example of systemic abuse and xenophobia,” said a human rights activist in Kolkata. “How can someone be deported from his own country despite having valid identity proof?”
As of now, there has been no official response from the Rajasthan government or the Border Security Force (BSF). The family of Amir Sheikh has appealed to the West Bengal government and the Ministry of Home Affairs to intervene and ensure his safe return. The case is likely to spark political and legal debates over migrant rights, citizenship verification, and the treatment of linguistic minorities within India.
