Jiyem Sheikh and Renu Bibi, parents of Amir Sheikh, who is languishing in Bangladesh prison.
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement
A migrant worker from West Bengal, who was pushed into Bangladesh by security agencies, has been booked for “illegally entering” the neighbouring country, State’s Migrant Welfare Board chief Samirul Islam said on Tuesday.
Mr. Islam, who is also a Trinamool Congress MP, was referring to the detention and “pushback” of Amir Sheikh from Kaliachak. He was picked up from Rajasthan in May this year and sent to Bangladesh.
“Interestingly, there was no way to repatriate Mr. Amir except through legal intervention, as he had been tagged under a case involving illegal entry into Bangladesh. Amid such a situation, the Central government is now trying to repatriate Mr. Amir to his Malda home to save face and avoid the legal blow for the illegal pushback,” the chairperson of migrant welfare board posted on social media.
Earlier this month, the father of Mr. Amir filed a habeas corpus petition before the Calcutta High Court and the court has sought response from Rajasthan government and Union government. The matter is likely to come up for hearing later this week.
Imprisoned for weeks
A video of the 19-year-old migrant worker has also surfaced on social media where he can be seen in tears seeking help for repatriation. According to his parents, Jiyem Sheikh and Renu Bibi, he was picked up by the police from Rajasthan in May 2025 and sent to Bangladesh by security agencies and was kept in prison for a few weeks. The parents have produced all documents including their passport, shared a video in which their son is narrating his plight asking for help and sought intervention from district officials. But their son is yet to come home.
Hundreds of Bengali-speaking migrants have faced alleged detention and harassment in different States across the country and asked to produce documents to prove they are not Bangladeshi nationals. Some of the migrant workers were also pushed into Bangladesh but later repatriated with the help of Indian authorities, Mr. Islam said.
The Trinamool Congress has blamed the Central government for the plight of Mr. Amir, who continues to languish in a prison in Bangladesh.
Published – August 13, 2025 01:53 am IST
