A 43-year-old Muslim fish trader from West Bengal’s Uttar Dinajpur district was picked up by the Raiganj police station in the month of June, 2026, for being an alleged undocumented Bangladeshi immigrant and subsequently was pushed into Bangladesh, his son told FoEJ Media.
His family alleged that no arrest memo was provided and no information was provided to them for the reason of his custody. The sequence of the incident occurred on June 2 when a police team arrived at Barek’s residence asking him for his identity documents, which, as said by the family, they handed over to the documents sought by the police.
Following this, 15 days later, Barek was called by the police and was immediately detained. As per his family, he was first taken to Raiganj police station and later was shifted to a detention camp.
Days after this, the family received a phone call from Bangladesh revealing that Baker was sent to Bangladesh.
“What would be his condition? What would the condition of a man living in another country with family be?” his son, Jahidul Islam, said, talking to FoEJ Media.
“We are unable to bring him home,” he said.
“He is very worried, and we are all extremely worried,” he added.
“I then asked them to show the document proving he is Bangladeshi, but the police did not show any documents,” he said. “What proof do they have that he is Bangladeshi? They could not show any Bangladeshi proof, as my father is Indian,” he told the Scroll.
Islam said that Barek was born in India and has a passport. Alongside this, he voted in the 2026 assembly elections after his name was included in the SIR. However, as per the family, these documents were ignored by the police.
Barek was the sole earning member of the daily of 23. After being pushed into Bangladesh, the family now faces financial uncertainty, which makes them frantic.
“Who do we tell about our troubles? There is so much distress at home because of his departure,” Islam said.
Ahead of the pushing back of Barek, the human rights organization Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Manch wrote to the Home Department of the West Bengal Government for intervention and investigation into the alleged arrest.
“In view of the complete absence of transparent information from the police and the alleged non-appearance of his arrest in the available arrest records, the family has a serious apprehension that Mr. Abdul Barek may have been unlawfully removed from India and possibly deported to Bangladesh,” the organization said.
MASUM said the allegations surrounding Barek’s detention and his reported transfer to Bangladesh raise significant constitutional concerns under Articles 14, 21 and 22. These provisions safeguard equality before the law, the right to life and personal liberty, and protection against arbitrary arrest and detention.
The organisation also invoked the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment in D.K. Basu v. State of West Bengal (1997) 1 SCC 416, which prescribed procedural safeguards governing arrest and custodial detention and emphasised the accountability of law-enforcement authorities.
According to MASUM, the alleged failure to furnish an arrest memo, notify Barek’s family of his detention, disclose his place of custody and maintain a corresponding official record warrants close scrutiny. The organisation said the absence of clarity over Barek’s custody raises questions about whether established safeguards and procedures were followed.
Roy, secretary of MASUM, said. “The family of Mr. Abdul Barek is living in profound uncertainty. Their immediate concern is not merely to establish responsibility but to know a basic and fundamental fact: WHERE IS MR. ABDUL BAREK?”
“This raises a fundamental question: if Mr. Abdul Barek was arrested by a police party and taken to Bhatol Out Post, where is the official record of his arrest and custody?” he said.
