BSF throws Indian worker into Bangladesh using pay loader
Amir Sheikh, a migrant worker in Rajasthan from Kaliachak, Malda, West Bengal, was allegedly labelled a “Bangladeshi” and forcibly pushed into Bangladesh, by the Border Security Force (BSF) using a pay loader machine over the barbed wire fence in Bashirhat, North 24 Parganas.
The incident has sparked outrage and raised serious concerns about the treatment of Bengali-speaking workers in India.
Amir, who had been working in Rajasthan for the past three months, was reportedly detained by the Rajasthan Police for speaking Bengali, despite possessing valid identity documents, including an Aadhaar card.
Family sources claim he was held in a detention camp before being transported to the Bashirhat border. A video circulating on social media, purportedly recorded by Amir in Bangladesh, has left his family distraught and fearful for his safety. They have appealed to the district administration to secure his return.
The incident follows allegations that Bengali-speaking workers from West Bengal are being misidentified as Bangladeshis in several BJP-ruled states.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has previously accused authorities in these states of targeting the Bengali language as a form of “terrorism.”
Similar incidents of workers being forcibly sent to Bangladesh have occurred, with some later repatriated through the intervention of the West Bengal government.
A delegation from the Malda District Trinamool Congress, along with members of the Malda District Council, visited Amir’s family to offer support.
The family insists that Amir’s detention and deportation were unjust, given his documented Indian citizenship. “He had all his identity papers, but they didn’t listen,” a family member said, tearfully urging authorities to bring him back.
The alleged use of a pay loader to throw Amir over the border fence has intensified calls for accountability.
The incident has also drawn parallels to other reported cases of harassment, including the recent death of a Trinamool worker who was allegedly beaten in custody, putting further scrutiny on BJP-led administrations.
Source: Sangbad Pratidin