3 hrs ago
Family Says Indian Fish Trader Was Pushed Into Bangladesh
Abdul Barek is a fish trader from West Bengal.
His family says he was taken by police in June.
They say he had an Indian passport and voter documents.
The family also says he had voted in a recent state election.
They allege that police later sent him to Bangladesh without showing evidence that he was Bangladeshi.
Barek has sometimes called his family from Bangladesh, but they do not know exactly where he is.
His absence has caused emotional and financial problems for his large family.
A human rights group is asking the government to find him and explain what happened.
The police have not provided information to the news organization.
Abdul Barek, a 43-year-old fish trader from West Bengal, was detained by Raiganj Police in June.
His family says he possessed an Indian passport, voter identity card and electoral-roll listing.
The family alleges police moved Barek to Bangladesh without showing proof that he was Bangladeshi.
Barek has reportedly remained in Bangladesh for more than two and a half months and sometimes calls home.
A human rights group has asked the West Bengal government to disclose his whereabouts and investigate the detention.
- Who
- Abdul Barek, a 43-year-old Muslim fish trader from Uttar Dinajpur, West Bengal, and Raiganj Police.
- What
- Barek was detained after police allegedly identified him as an undocumented Bangladeshi immigrant, and his family says he was pushed into Bangladesh.
- Where
- Barek is from Gopalpur village in Uttar Dinajpur district, West Bengal, and was reportedly sent to Bangladesh.
- When
- He was first detained on June 2 and was reportedly sent to Bangladesh about 15 days later; the family said he had been there for more than two and a half months.
- Why
- Police reportedly considered him Bangladeshi, while his family and a human rights group dispute that claim and say his Indian documents were ignored.
Family and Rights Group
Police and Immigration Enforcement
Citizenship evidence
Family and Rights Group
Barek’s family and Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha say his Indian passport, voter documents and electoral-roll listing show that he should not have been treated as a foreign citizen without due process.
Police and Immigration Enforcement
Police reportedly told the family that Barek had been proven to be Bangladeshi, but the police did not show the family documents supporting that conclusion.
Detention and transfer
Family and Rights Group
The family alleges that Barek was detained, taken to a detention camp and forcibly sent to Bangladesh without the police properly examining their documents.
Police and Immigration Enforcement
The reported police position was that Barek was an undocumented Bangladeshi immigrant; the inspector-in-charge declined to provide further information.
Required process
Family and Rights Group
The human rights group says any citizenship dispute must be decided according to law, with judicial safeguards, and that authorities must account for people taken into custody.
Police and Immigration Enforcement
The article does not provide a detailed public explanation from police about the legal process used in Barek’s case.
Key facts
- Person
- Abdul Barek, a 43-year-old fish trader
- Origin
- Gopalpur village, Uttar Dinajpur district, West Bengal
- Initial detention
- June 2, after police visited his home and questioned him about identity documents
- Documents cited by family
- Indian passport issued in 2021, voter identity card and electoral-roll listing
- Reported destination
- Bangladesh
- Family impact
- Barek was the main livelihood provider for a family of about 23 people
- Human rights action
- Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha filed a complaint seeking intervention and disclosure of his whereabouts
- Police response
- The Raiganj police inspector-in-charge declined to provide information and cited the Official Secrets Act
Quotes
Jahidul Islam
Abdul Barek’s 24-year-old son
“In a constitutional democracy governed by the rule of law, no person can simply disappear after being taken away by the state authorities.”
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“What proof do they have that he is Bangladeshi? They could not show any Bangladeshi proof as my father is Indian.”
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Sources
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