A 43-year-old Muslim man from Uttar Dinajpur district, Abdul Barek, has allegedly been detained by police on suspicion of being an undocumented Bangladeshi national, with his family claiming that his whereabouts have remained unknown for nearly four months after he was taken into custody.
Barek, a resident of Gopalpur village in the Bailyamor-Panupara area, was allegedly picked up by a police team attached to Raiganj Police Station on June 2, 2026. His family has questioned the circumstances of his alleged arrest, claiming that no arrest memo was provided and that they were not informed of the legal grounds for taking him into custody.
Family Says Police Took Barek Away on June 2
According to the family, a police team arrived at Barek’s residence around noon on June 2 and asked him to produce identity documents. Barek and his family allegedly cooperated and handed over the documents sought by the police.
The family claims the officers took the documents without issuing a receipt and subsequently took Barek away in the presence of his relatives.
They further allege that Barek was taken in a police vehicle to Bhatol Out Post. However, the family says they were not given any formal arrest document or clear information about where he was being taken or under which provision of law he was being detained.
Since then, the family claims, they have been unable to establish Barek’s whereabouts or legal status.
Barek’s wife, Nesnur Khatun, alleged that her husband was treated as a Bangladeshi national merely on the basis of suspicion and without adequate verification.
“My husband’s name was not deleted during the SIR process, and he voted this year. He also has an Indian passport. Despite this, the police later identified him as a foreigner,” Khatun told The Observer Post.
‘He Voted This Year and Has an Indian Passport’
The family’s concerns intensified on September 30 when Barek’s brother, Abdul Odud, said he contacted Raiganj Police Station seeking information about his whereabouts.
“We contacted Raiganj Police Station on September 30 and asked the police where Abdul Barek was. We did not receive an answer,” Odud told The Observer Post.
According to the family, they subsequently examined a list of persons arrested by the Raiganj Police District on June 2 but could not find Barek’s name in the records they reviewed.
They questioned how a person allegedly taken into custody by a police team could remain absent from the official arrest record.
“If Abdul Barek was arrested by a police party and taken to Bhatol Out Post, where is the official record of his arrest and custody?” the family asked.
Barek’s son, Monirul Islam, said the family possesses several documents that, according to him, establish his father’s identity and residence.
“My father possesses an Aadhaar card, driving licence, PAN card and an Indian passport issued by the competent Regional Passport Authority after police verification through the Enforcement Branch,” Monirul told The Observer Post.
He further claimed that Barek participated in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election and exercised his franchise.
Family Says Disappearance Has Left 23-Member Household in Uncertainty
The alleged disappearance has also had significant consequences for Barek’s family. Relatives said he is the principal source of livelihood for a household comprising around 23 members.
Local residents reportedly said Barek earns his living through pisciculture and also owns land.
His sudden disappearance has, according to the family, left them facing financial uncertainty while they continue to seek information about his whereabouts.
Barek’s other son, Mojaidul Islam, said the family was not arguing that questions relating to nationality could never be investigated, but insisted that any such investigation must follow established legal procedures.
“The existence of these documents does not, by itself, prevent lawful investigation of citizenship where legally warranted. However, it makes it imperative that any allegation that he is a foreign national be dealt with through due process of law and competent judicial determination, rather than through secret or unrecorded detention,” Mojaidul said.
The family has called on authorities to disclose Barek’s present whereabouts, clarify the legal basis on which he was allegedly detained and provide details of any case or proceeding initiated against him.
MASUM Seeks Investigation Into Alleged Detention
Human rights organisation Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Manch (MASUM) has written to the Home Department of the West Bengal government, seeking urgent intervention and a time-bound investigation into the alleged arrest, detention and unexplained disappearance of Barek.
In its letter dated September 30, MASUM raised concerns over the alleged absence of transparent information from police regarding Barek’s whereabouts and the reported non-appearance of his arrest in available police records.
The organisation said the circumstances had created a serious apprehension within the family that Barek may have been unlawfully removed from India and possibly deported to Bangladesh.
“In view of the complete absence of transparent information from the police and the alleged non-appearance of his arrest in the available arrest records, the family has a serious apprehension that Mr. Abdul Barek may have been unlawfully removed from India and possibly deported to Bangladesh,” the organisation said.
MASUM further argued that if any such transfer or deportation had taken place, the circumstances and legal authority under which it occurred should be independently investigated.
The organisation also referred to Barek’s alleged possession of Indian identity documents, including an Indian passport reportedly issued after police verification. It said that any dispute concerning his nationality or citizenship should be dealt with strictly in accordance with applicable law and through due process.
Rights Group Raises Constitutional Concerns
MASUM said the allegations raised concerns relating to Articles 14, 21 and 22 of the Constitution of India, which concern equality before law, protection of life and personal liberty, and safeguards against arbitrary arrest and detention.
The organisation also referred to the Supreme Court’s judgment in D.K. Basu v. State of West Bengal (1997) 1 SCC 416, which laid down safeguards relating to arrest and custodial detention.
According to MASUM, the alleged failure to provide an arrest memo, the lack of information to Barek’s family, the uncertainty surrounding his custody and the reported absence of his name from available arrest records require immediate scrutiny.
The organisation said that if Barek was taken into custody, authorities have a legal obligation to account for his custody and produce the relevant records.
MASUM further said that if an investigation establishes that Barek was transferred across the international border or deported to Bangladesh, an independent inquiry should determine the legality of such action, including identifying the officials responsible and the legal authority under which the transfer was allegedly carried out.
‘Where Is Mr. Abdul Barek?’
Speaking to The Observer Post, MASUM secretary Kirity Roy said the organisation’s immediate concern was to establish Barek’s whereabouts and bring the circumstances surrounding his alleged detention on record.
“The family of Mr. Abdul Barek is living in profound uncertainty. Their immediate concern is not merely to establish responsibility but to know a basic and fundamental fact: where is Mr. Abdul Barek?” Roy said.
“In a constitutional democracy governed by the rule of law, no person can simply disappear after being taken away by state authorities. The police must be able to account for every person whom they arrest or take into custody. The existence, liberty and whereabouts of a citizen cannot depend upon the discretion or silence of individual police officers,” he added.
Roy urged authorities to intervene urgently and establish the circumstances surrounding Barek’s alleged arrest, custody and present whereabouts, including whether he was transferred across the international border.
“We therefore request your urgent intervention to ensure that the truth regarding Abdul Barek’s arrest, custody, whereabouts and, if applicable, removal from India is brought on record and made known to his family without further delay,” Roy said.
