By Maktoob
A 40-year-old woman from West Bengal was allegedly deported to Bangladesh after being detained by police in Navi Mumbai on suspicion of being an “infiltrator”, despite her family submitting multiple government records establishing her Indian citizenship and identity, leaving her husband and two sons behind in India.
Sahida Fakir, originally from Swarupnagar in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, was picked up from a market in Sanpada, Navi Mumbai, on July 18 when she had gone to buy groceries for dinner.
Her husband and two sons remain in India. Their younger son is a Class 7 student, while their elder son works as a mobile phone repair technician.
Two months ago, Maktoob reported that Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), a human rights organisation, had moved the Calcutta High Court alleging Sahida’s illegal arrest, arbitrary detention and unlawful branding as a “Bangladeshi”, despite the existence of multiple government records establishing her Indian citizenship.
Her husband, Jumman Fakir, said the family produced her birth certificate, school certificate, her parents’ land deed and other identity documents at a detention centre in Chembur, but were informed three days later that she had been sent to Bangladesh.
“Both our families are from Swarupnagar. We are Indian citizens and have lived in Mumbai for two decades without facing anything like this before,” Indian Express quoted Jumman as saying.
According to the family, Sahida was taken to Assam and pushed across the border into Bangladesh along with a group of people. She is currently staying with a family in Satkhira, Bangladesh, after walking for eight hours through muddy fields following her alleged deportation.
“They pushed me into Bangladesh from the Assam border around 1 am. I walked for eight hours through muddy fields to reach the main road,” Sahida said to Indian Express over the phone from Satkhira.
She said residents provided her with food, clothes and shelter. “I am an Indian citizen and just want to return home. My son is in Class 7; who will look after him?” she said.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.