WB man pushed into Bangladesh despite proof of Indian citizenship, alleges family, state officials
Kolkata: A 36-year-old man from West Bengal, Mehbub Sheikh, who had been working as a mason in Maharashtra, was allegedly pushed into Bangladesh by the Border Security Force (BSF) in the early hours of Saturday, despite his family and the West Bengal government submitting documents to prove his Indian citizenship.
According to officials of the West Bengal Migrant Welfare Board, Sheikh was detained by the Maharashtra Police in Thane on June 11, after being suspected of being an illegal Bangladeshi migrant. He was picked up while having tea in the Mira Road area and taken to the Kanakia police station.
Upon receiving a distress call from Sheikh, his family immediately contacted the local administration and the migrant welfare board. “We sent all necessary documents including his Aadhaar, voter ID, ration card, and even a family tree certified by the gram panchayat,” said Mujibur Sheikh, Mehbub’s younger brother. “Despite this, he was sent to a BSF camp in Siliguri and later pushed across the border.”
Samirul Islam, chairman of the West Bengal Migrant Welfare Board, said, “The Maharashtra Police did not cooperate, and the BSF deported him without informing the West Bengal authorities.”
Shabbir Ahmed, pradhan of Mahisasthali gram panchayat in Murshidabad district, confirmed the documents were authentic and verified at the local level. “We tried to intervene when we learned he was taken to a BSF camp in Siliguri, but were not given access,” he said.
The family said Mehbub called them on Saturday morning, weeping and stating that the BSF had pushed him into Bangladesh at around 3:30 am. He reportedly found temporary shelter in a Bangladeshi village. He has a wife and three children in India.
Maharashtra Police, however, defended their actions. Meghna Burade, Senior Inspector of Mira Road police station, said, “On orders to act against illegal migrants, we detained several people, including Mehbub. He failed to produce valid proof like a birth certificate. We don’t accept Aadhaar or PAN cards as sole proof of citizenship, as these can be obtained fraudulently.”
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Karnataka Cabinet ratifies decisions on internal reservation for SCs
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka Cabinet has ratified its earlier decisions on internal reservation for Scheduled Castes and approved key modifications to streamline recruitment, including withdrawal and reissue of notifications and adoption of a 400-point roster system.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil on Thursday said the Cabinet reaffirmed its commitment to implementing internal reservation within the 15 per cent SC quota and expediting long-pending recruitment across departments.
"The Cabinet ratified decisions taken in earlier meetings (April 16 and April 24) and made modifications regarding reservation policies," Patil said.
He said the government will implement internal reservation within the 15 per cent quota for Scheduled Castes in specified proportions and revise recruitment notifications accordingly, with a 400-point roster to be followed.
If fewer than three roster points for SC arise in recruitment, then all 101 Scheduled Caste communities will be allowed to compete under SC general, he said.
Patil added that recruitment notifications issued without incorporating internal reservation will be withdrawn and reissued in line with the revised policy.
"If the Supreme Court approves 24 per cent reservation for SC/ST, six per cent backlog posts will be filled," he said, noting that urgent steps will be taken to fill 56,432 approved posts.
The latest decision follows the Cabinet's April 24 resolution that cleared a revised internal reservation formula within the overall 15 per cent SC quota, paving the way for long-pending government recruitment. The government had approved 5.25 per cent reservation each for the "right-hand" and "left-hand" groups, and about 4.5 per cent for other Scheduled Castes, including nomadic communities.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had then said the categorisation was worked out proportionately within the constitutional ceiling. "From tomorrow onwards, the recruitment process will begin with the issuance of notifications," he had said after the April 24 Cabinet meeting.
He also noted that the SC quota was fixed at 15 per cent and ST at three per cent in line with the 50 per cent cap laid down in the Indra Sawhney case, while pointing out that the Supreme Court had permitted internal reservation within constitutional limits.
