A woman from West Bengal who was living with her family in Navi Mumbai has allegedly been detained on suspicion of being an illegal migrant and deported to Bangladesh, despite her family producing documents that they say establish her Indian citizenship.
The woman, identified as Sahida Fakir, reportedly went missing on July 19 after leaving her home to buy food from a nearby market. Her husband, Jumman Fakir, later received a call from the Mumbai Police’s Chembur Crime Branch informing him that she had been detained on suspicion of being an illegal immigrant.
The family has now said it will approach the Calcutta High Court seeking her return to India and action against those responsible.
Family Says Police Ignored Citizenship Documents
According to Jumman, he immediately went to the police station after learning about his wife’s detention. He said Sahida told him that police personnel had taken her to a facility where people suspected of being illegal immigrants were being held.
The family claims Sahida’s phone and Aadhaar card were taken from her during the detention.
Jumman said he repeatedly visited the police with documents including Sahida’s Aadhaar card, voter ID, birth certificate and school certificate, but was allegedly asked to provide additional documents.
“The police said that was not enough. They asked for the birth certificates of Sahida’s parents,” Jumman told Scroll.
He questioned how he could produce such documents when birth certificates were not commonly issued when his wife’s parents were born.
“Where would I get the birth certificate of Shahida’s father? Were birth certificates even made in those times?” he said.
According to the family, Sahida was deported on July 23. They allege she was taken to Assam and pushed across the border into Bangladesh.
Woman Reportedly Finds Shelter in Bangladesh
A few days after her alleged deportation, Sahida contacted her husband from Bangladesh. She is currently staying with a family in Satkhira district, according to Jumman.
He said Sahida told him that she was pushed across the border at around 1 a.m. and had to walk through muddy fields for several hours.
“I’m an Indian citizen and just want to return to my home,” Sahida reportedly said.
Jumman said his wife is also worried about their children.
“My son studies in seventh standard. Who’s going to take care of him?” she reportedly asked.
The family that is sheltering Sahida has allegedly come under pressure after Bangladeshi authorities became aware of her presence. Jumman claimed that police and Border Guard Bangladesh personnel have been monitoring the house.
Documents Show West Bengal Roots, Family Claims
The family says Sahida was born in Swarupdaha village in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district in 1988. Local residents have also reportedly written to the district magistrate seeking her immediate return.
According to the family, Sahida’s documents include a birth certificate issued in 1995, a voter ID issued in 2008, a school certificate and land records showing her connection to West Bengal.
Her parents were also reportedly included in the 2002 electoral rolls. However, the family says Sahida’s name is currently listed as “under adjudication” following the ongoing revision of electoral rolls.
A human rights organisation, Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha, had earlier written to the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, alleging that Sahida was illegally arrested and detained and was denied constitutional safeguards.
Its secretary Kirity Roy said, “Executive authorities have no jurisdiction to declare an individual as a foreign national merely on suspicion or profiling.”
He alleged that Sahida’s detention and deportation, despite the documents submitted by her family, raised serious concerns about due process.
Family Plans Legal Battle
Jumman said he intends to seek legal intervention to bring his wife back to India.
“She has all the documents. She is an Indian. But she was branded as Bangladeshi and sent to Bangladesh. I am unable to accept that. Why did they do it? I will fight it legally,” he said.
The Mumbai Police have been contacted for details about the grounds for Sahida’s detention and deportation, but no response has been reported so far.
The case now raises questions over how a person claiming Indian citizenship and possessing multiple identity and civil documents could allegedly be deported without, according to the family, being given an opportunity to establish her citizenship before the action was taken.
