Archive · 9 Aug 2026
West Bengal woman pushed into Bangladesh after Mumbai police detention
Shaheda Fakir is a mother from a place called West Bengal in India.
She lived in a big city called Mumbai with her husband and her young son for 20 years.
One day, police stopped her and said they thought she was not really Indian.
They took her phone and kept her in a centre, even though her family brought papers that showed she was born in India.
After a few days, she was taken to a border and pushed into another country called Bangladesh in the middle of the night.
She walked for eight hours through muddy fields until kind people helped her.
A family there gave her food, clothes and a place to stay.
She is sick and needs medicine, and she is very worried about her son, who is in Class 7.
She says she is an Indian citizen and just wants to come home.
Her family is asking the court and the government to help bring her back.
Shaheda Fakir, 40, who lived in Navi Mumbai for 20 years, was detained by police on July 18 on suspicion of being an 'illegal Bangladeshi infiltrator'.
Even after her family submitted her birth certificate, school certificate and land deeds at a Chembur detention centre, she was pushed into Bangladesh from the Assam border around 1 am three days later.
She walked for eight hours through muddy fields before a family in Satkhira, Bangladesh, gave her shelter, clothes and food.
Her family plans to move the Calcutta High Court, while the West Bengal Migrant Labourer Unity Forum wrote to the Ministry of External Affairs on August 8 seeking her return.
Similar cases include Sunali Khatun and Sweety Bibi in 2025 and five Mumbai migrant workers in June 2025, who were pushed into Bangladesh and later repatriated.
- Who
- Shaheda Fakir, 40, an Indian woman from West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district who lived in Navi Mumbai for 20 years with her husband Jumman Fakir and their Class 7 son.
- What
- She was detained by police on suspicion of being an 'illegal Bangladeshi infiltrator' and pushed across the border into Bangladesh despite her family providing identity documents.
- When
- Detained on July 18; pushed into Bangladesh from the Assam border around 1 am about three days later; the MEA letter was sent on August 8.
- Where
- Detained in Sanpada, Navi Mumbai; held at a detention centre in Chembur; pushed across the Assam border into Satkhira, Bangladesh.
- Why
- Police suspected her of being an illegal Bangladeshi infiltrator; her family insists she is an Indian citizen whose documents should be verified.
Family and migrant rights groups
Border enforcement authorities
Citizenship verification
Family and migrant rights groups
Shaheda is an Indian citizen; her birth certificate, school records, land deeds and earlier document verifications prove her identity, so she should have been verified before any action.
Border enforcement authorities
Authorities suspected her of being an illegal Bangladeshi infiltrator and did not accept the documents presented, pushing her across the border.
Deportation process
Family and migrant rights groups
The pushback happened without proper legal proceedings, and past cases show Indian citizens being mistakenly pushed into Bangladesh and later repatriated after court battles.
Border enforcement authorities
Enforcing border rules against illegal infiltrators is necessary, and verification cases are already pending before tribunals.
- Victim
- Shaheda Fakir, 40
- Detained
- July 18, Sanpada, Navi Mumbai
- Deported
- Pushed into Bangladesh from the Assam border around 1 am, three days after detention
- Current location
- Satkhira, Bangladesh
- Family's action
- Preparing to file a case in the Calcutta High Court
- MEA letter
- Sent by West Bengal Migrant Labourer Unity Forum on August 8
- Health issues
- Thyroid issues and diabetes
- Documents submitted
- Birth certificate, school certificate, parents' land deed and identity proofs