Indian Muslim teen returned after being forcibly pushed into Bangladesh
15-year-old from West Bengal spent over a month in Bangladeshi custody after alleged police–border force operation targeting Bengali Muslims
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — A 15-year-old Muslim boy from eastern India has been reunited with his family after allegedly being detained without a warrant, held incommunicado, and forcibly deported to Bangladesh by state police and border forces.
Amir Sheikh, from Malda district in West Bengal, vanished in late June after being seized from his workplace in Rajasthan’s Sikar district.
His father, Jiyem Sheikh, says the teenager was handed over to Bangladeshi authorities in a covert operation involving both Rajasthan Police and the Border Security Force (BSF). According to Maktoob Media Amir spent more than a month in Bangladeshi custody before being sent back on August 12.
The Calcutta High Court heard the case after the family filed a habeas corpus petition. According to their lawyer, a BSF officer contacted them on August 12 claiming Amir had been caught while “attempting to re-enter” India without documents.
He was transferred to police in North 24 Parganas district and released to his father after identity checks. The court has ordered detailed reports from both the Basirhat police and the central government by August 27.
“I am happy I got my son back, but I will only be at peace once those responsible are punished,” Jiyem Sheikh said. “How can they do this to an Indian?”
Political leaders and rights advocates say the case reflects a broader campaign of hostility toward Bengali-speaking Muslims in several BJP-ruled states.
Samirul Islam, chairman of the West Bengal Migrant Workers Welfare Board, accused authorities of persecuting migrant workers while publicly denying illegal deportations. “We have all the evidence that Amir was deported by the BSF — including a video he recorded from Bangladesh. The claim that he went there on his own is a blatant lie,” he said.
Islam said that such expulsions are part of a deliberate strategy targeting Bengali Muslims under the guise of combating illegal migration.
Since May, thousands have reported harassment from local authorities in BJP-governed states, with entire families allegedly forced across the Bangladesh border. Rohingya refugees have also been singled out amid a surge in anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric in right-wing media.
According to the family’s petition, Amir was detained on June 25, denied access to a lawyer or medical care, and prevented from contacting relatives. They allege he was pushed across the Phulbari border crossing on or around June 28 in violation of Indian and international law.
The family eventually traced him through a Facebook video showing him in Bangladeshi police custody. Rights groups say this is not an isolated incident but part of a pattern in which Bengali-speaking Muslims are deliberately expelled from India and only returned after public or legal pressure.
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