Six people from West Bengal deported by Delhi Police

Members of two different families, one from Murarai village and another from Paikar village, in West Bengal’s Birbhum district have alleged that six family members including two women and two minors, were detained by Delhi Police and later “pushed” into Bangladesh because they were suspected of being “illegal” Bangladeshis. Both families have written to the Delhi Police seeking a response and said that they shall approach the courts.

In one letter, Bhodu Shek has alleged that Danish Sekh, his wife Sunali Khatun, and their minor son Sabir Shek were deported by the K N Katju Marg police station that falls under Delhi’s Rohini police district on June 26.

According to Shek, his daughter and son-in-law went to Delhi on May 5 and were detained on June 18 by officers from the K N Katju Marg police station (Rohini).

“For the verification process we submitted voter cards, Aadhaar cards, and land deeds to the local police, but they did not release them,” said Khatun’s cousin Roshni Bibi, who was also her neighbour in the capital. She added that at the time, the family of three was detained; the police did not take the daughter since she was living with her aunt, away from Shek’s residence.

Thorough interrogation

Speaking to The Hindu, DCP (Rohini) said that these three “Bangladeshis had no valid documents and had admitted that they were Bangladeshis, only then were they sent back.” He added that the family in question was from Bagerhat and that they have been sent back to Bangladesh. “They were deported along with many Bangladeshis, on June 26 by a flight from Delhi after obtaining deportation orders from the FRRO,” said the DCP

A similar letter was written by Anjela Bibi from Murari, Birbhum, who wrote to the Delhi Police about her family members: Sweety Bibi, her elder son Kurban Sheikh, and minor son Iman Dewan.

Bibi, Sweety’s mother-in-law, alleged that the family of three hailing from Murarai, who were living in Delhi and working as waste pickers, were detained on June 18, along with the other three people from Birbhum. “The two families lived in Rohini as neighbours and were waste pickers,” she said adding that her neighbours in Birbhum told her that her daughter-in-law and grandsons had been detained and later deported on June 26.

The six people were detained from Bengali Basti in Rohini’s sector 26, and according to a Delhi Police general diary, both the families allegedly told the police that they were from Bagerhat, Bangladesh, following which they were handed over to the FRRO.

The two families told The Hindu that they will be approaching the court over the “illegal” deportation.