A family from Assam, whose citizenship case is being heard in the Supreme Court, has alleged that one of their members, Khairul Islam, a 51-year-old former government school teacher, was picked up from their home in the state’s Morigaon district and “pushed” into Bangladesh by security forces.
The family said it got to know of this at 11 am on May 27 through a video uploaded on social media by a Bangladeshi journalist, purportedly showing Khairul Islam in Bangladesh’s Kurigram district, near the Boraibari border.
The Indian Express spoke to Islam’s wife, Rita Khanam, and daughter, Afreen, both of whom said he is the person in the video.
His lawyer Avijit Roy said Islam had been declared a foreigner by a Foreigners Tribunal in 2016, and that his appeal against the order is being heard in the Supreme Court.
The Indian Express sent detailed queries on the video and the allegations made in it to the BSF Guwahati Frontier and the Assam Police. No response was received.
While the BSF did not comment on the Islam matter, in a statement Tuesday it said it had “thwarted an infiltration attempt by a large group of Bangladeshi nationals”.
“In the early hours of May 27, vigilant BSF troops deployed at the Indo-Bangladesh International Border in district South Salmara-Mankachar, Assam, observed suspicious movement of Bangladesh nationals approaching towards the International Boundary from the Bangladesh side with the intention to cross into Indian territory. Acting swiftly, BSF troops challenged them to prevent their unauthorised entry into Indian territory. The Bangladeshi mob subsequently retreated back into Bangladesh,” it said.
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com. Read the full story here.
