The family of a 37-year-old man from Uttar Dinajpur district in West Bengal has alleged that he was detained by security personnel and subsequently pushed back across the international border into Bangladesh without due legal process.
Abdul Rahim, a resident of Kuilara Anantapur village under Bhatol Gram Panchayat in Raiganj, has reportedly been contacting his family from Bangladeshi telephone numbers. His family claims that they were not informed of his whereabouts after he was taken into custody and that authorities have not clarified how he allegedly ended up across the border.
The allegations have prompted Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), a human rights organisation, to approach the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), seeking an independent investigation and information about Rahim’s current whereabouts.
Family Alleges Police Detained Rahim
According to Rahim’s family, the incident began late on June 2, 2026, when police personnel, Border Security Force (BSF) personnel and civic police personnel allegedly arrived at his residence.
The family alleged that the personnel were looking for Rahim but, when they did not find him at home, they took his elder son, Abu Kalam, around 26, into custody.
They claimed that no arrest memo was issued to Kalam and that the family was not informed of the legal grounds for his detention.
The following morning, Rahim’s father, Lal Mohammad, his uncle Serajul Haque, Bhatol Gram Panchayat deputy pradhan Yusuf, panchayat member Nayyem Aktar and other residents reportedly went to Bhatol Police Outpost seeking Kalam’s release.
According to the family, police personnel asked them to produce Rahim. Believing he could establish his identity by appearing in person, Rahim went to the outpost with the group and carried his identity documents.
The family alleged that police took possession of his Aadhaar card, voter identity card, PAN card, ration card and other documents but did not provide a receipt or seizure list.
“ Thereafter, instead of allowing him to return home after verification of his identity, Abdul Rahim was allegedly placed in the police lock-up,” his father, Lal Mohammad, told The Observer Post.
Kalam was released from Bhatol Police Outpost after approximately seven hours in custody on the same day, according to the family.
Family Says Rahim Possessed Indian Identity Documents
Yusuf, deputy pradhan of Bhatol Gram Panchayat, told The Observer Post that Rahim works as a paddy trader and lives with his wife and four children.
Yusuf said Rahim possessed several identity documents, including an Aadhaar card, voter identity card, PAN card and ration card. He also referred to land documents connected to the family’s residence.
According to Yusuf, Rahim’s father purchased a parcel of land from Bharat Roy through a registered sale deed, after which Rahim constructed a permanent house on the property.
The family maintains that Rahim had been living openly in the village with his family and has called for an investigation into the circumstances of his alleged detention and disappearance.
Son Says Rahim Called From Bangladesh
The family’s concerns deepened after they reportedly received telephone calls from Rahim on different dates. According to Abu Kalam, the calls appeared to originate from Bangladeshi telephone numbers.
“We did not know where my father was. The police did not tell us anything. Then he called us from Bangladesh,” Kalam told The Observer Post.
He alleged that Rahim was living in difficult conditions, moving between places without stable shelter and sometimes facing mistreatment.
The circumstances of Rahim’s reported detention and alleged transfer across the border have not been independently established. An official response from the police or BSF was not available in the information provided for this report.
MASUM Seeks NHRC Investigation
After receiving information about the case, representatives of MASUM conducted enquiries with Rahim’s family, neighbours and local residents. The organisation also contacted Shubham Saha, the officer reportedly in charge of Bhatol Police Outpost.
According to MASUM, police initially denied that Rahim had been detained. When further questions were raised about his whereabouts, the officer reportedly said he could not recall the case at that time.
The organisation said the alleged detention and the lack of clarity about Rahim’s whereabouts raised questions about the legal authority under which he was reportedly taken away and how he may have crossed into Bangladesh.
On October 8, MASUM sent a letter to the NHRC seeking urgent intervention. It requested an independent and impartial investigation, preferably by an officer or agency unconnected with Bhatol Police Outpost, Raiganj Police District, the concerned BSF unit or the personnel allegedly involved.
The organisation also asked the Commission to establish and disclose Rahim’s current whereabouts and legal status.
Rights Group Raises Due Process Concerns
Kirity Roy, secretary of MASUM, said that if Rahim had been removed from India while in the custody or control of Indian authorities without a valid order or the procedure prescribed by law, the matter would raise serious concerns about personal liberty, unlawful detention and the exercise of official authority.
“The State cannot evade accountability by simply asserting after the event that the person was a foreign national. A person cannot be treated as a foreigner merely through an undocumented executive decision and thereafter removed in circumstances where his family is unable to ascertain his legal status, place of detention or the authority responsible for his transfer,” Roy told The Observer Post.
MASUM has sought answers about the legal authority for Rahim’s alleged removal, the orders under which it was carried out and the border point through which he may have been transferred.
