Man from W.B. detained as illegal Bangladeshi immigrant in Bengaluru; family approaches SHRC

The Bandepalya police have detained a 30-year-old private school van driver, suspecting he is an illegal Bangladeshi immigrant and has currently placed him at the Foreigners’ Detention Centre, Nelamangala, waiting to be deported to Bangladesh.

However, his family members have claimed that he hails from West Bengal and have lodged a complaint with the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission (KSHRC), alleging illegal detention and accusing the police of taking bribes.

The detainee, identified as Rafikul Biswas, hails from Dhananjoypur, West Bengal, the family has claimed. He has been living in the city for the past 10 years, along with his wife and a child, in a rented accommodation, working as a private school van driver. 

His wife, who has now lodged a complaint with the KSHRC, claimed that she not only produced his Voter ID and Aadhaar card, but also a certificate from the local police in Dhananjoypur, West Bengal, certifying that Rafikul Biswas was a resident. She alleged that the police demanded a bribe of ₹10,000 for the medical and transportation expenses of Mr. Biswas, which she managed to arrange and pay. However, she said the police rejected all the documents she produced as fake.

In her petition to the KSHRC, she appealed to the Commission to take immediate cognizance of this matter, order a fair, independent inquiry into the illegal detention and extortion, and direct the immediate release of the victim. 

The police said that the person in question was detained based on a report by the Internal Security Division (ISD). Officials said that the family members could challenge the same with the documents they have before the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO). 

A city-based activist, R. Kaleemullah, who has been working with the family of the detainee, said that of late, the police were targeting migrant workers from West Bengal, terming them “illegal immigrants from Bangladesh”. “These migrant workers not only have Voter ID, Aadhar, passports in some cases, and even certificates from the police of their hometowns, which is not being considered. Such blatant harassment must stop,” he said.