Nationality in question: Karnataka HC seeks Bangladesh verification in Bengaluru detainee case
Bengaluru: Uncertainty continues to surround the citizenship status of a 32-year-old Bengaluru resident after the Karnataka High Court directed the state government to verify his antecedents through Bangladeshi authorities, despite official confirmation from West Bengal identifying him as an Indian national.
According to a report by The Indian Express, Rafiqul Biswas, who worked as a school bus driver and scrap dealer, was detained by Bengaluru police in September last year on allegations that he was a Bangladeshi national living illegally in India. The police action was reportedly based on documents, including a birth certificate and an identity paper bearing his photograph, which described him as a citizen of Bangladesh. Biswas’s family has consistently denied the allegation, asserting that he and his parents are natives of West Bengal.
The detention led to a prolonged legal and personal crisis for Biswas and his family. While lodged at a Foreigners Regional Registration Office detention centre, he suffered a cardiac episode and was hospitalised. He reportedly experienced a second heart attack in December and was subsequently released on medical grounds. His family has said he has faced repeated cardiac complications over the past four months, attributing them to stress arising from the case.
Since his release, Biswas has moved out of his earlier residence, citing fear of being targeted and loss of livelihood. Speaking to The Indian Express over the phone, he declined to reveal his current location. His teenage daughter said the family had spent several days outside the FRRO office during his detention, carrying documents to prove his Indian citizenship. “My father is from West Bengal. We were born here,” she said.
The family also approached the State Human Rights Commission, alleging that the police had sought a bribe to settle the matter. The police have denied the allegation. Sources in the commission confirmed that the family had appeared before it in connection with the complaint.
Support for Biswas came from the All-India Shramik Swaraj Kendra, a Bengaluru-based organisation working with informal-sector workers. The organisation took up the case after Biswas’s wife sought assistance and later contacted the West Bengal Chief Minister’s Office for verification. Representatives of the organisation said the West Bengal Migrant Workers’ Board, in coordination with the Nadia district police, confirmed that Biswas is a resident of West Bengal and forwarded the relevant documents to the Karnataka government.
A lawyer was subsequently engaged to represent Biswas before the Karnataka High Court, where it was argued that a foreigners’ tribunal must first determine an individual’s nationality before any deportation proceedings could be initiated.
In an order passed on January 12, the High Court recorded that government authorities had acknowledged Biswas as a native of West Bengal and observed that the prosecution must produce proof from Bangladesh if it continued to claim that he was a foreign national. Acting on an appeal filed by the FRRO, the court granted the authorities two weeks to seek verification of the documents through Bangladeshi officials and directed the police to explain how papers identifying Biswas as Bangladeshi were obtained.
A senior police officer associated with the case said the detention was carried out based on a letter from State Intelligence describing Biswas as an illegal immigrant, along with documents received through official channels. The officer maintained that the police had followed due procedure and rejected allegations of bribery.
The matter is expected to come up for further hearing in early February.
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Elderly Dalit woman cremated on road after family denied access to village cremation ground in Bihar
Vaishali: An elderly Dalit woman was cremated on a public road in Bihar’s Vaishali district after her family was allegedly prevented from using the village cremation ground, triggering outrage and tension in the area, The Observer Post reported.
The incident occurred on Thursday at Sontho Andhari village under the Goraul police station limits. The deceased, identified as Jhapki Devi (95), belonged to a Mahadalit family. According to locals and police, when her family tried to take her body to the cremation ground, some people blocked the route, leaving the family with no option but to perform the last rites on the road.
Family members and residents said the obstruction has been a long-standing issue. “Every time we take a body for cremation, the way is blocked. This has happened earlier too, but no permanent solution was given,” said a local resident from Manjhi Tola, expressing anger over repeated denial of access.
As tensions rose, the funeral procession stopped at Andhari Gachi Chowk, where the body was placed on a pyre in front of a Shiva temple and cremated on the road. Villagers alleged that the pathway connecting the main road to the cremation ground had been encroached upon by local landowners.
Police and administrative officials later reached the spot. A fire brigade vehicle was deployed to extinguish the pyre, and the road was cleaned after the cremation. Public representatives who arrived at the scene were reportedly chased away by protesting villagers, who accused the administration of ignoring their complaints for years.
Vaishali Superintendent of Police Vikram Sihag said the issue arose due to the absence of a clear path. “Earlier, there was a route to the cremation ground, but some people built a temple on that path. Due to the lack of access, the family carried out the cremation on the road,” he said. He added that discussions were held with local officials and that arrangements would be made to restore access to the cremation ground. “The situation is currently under control,” the SP said.
Block Development Officer Pankaj Kumar Nigam and Circle Officer Divya Chanchal said the area had been cleared and an inquiry was under way. “All aspects will be examined, and steps will be taken to ensure that such incidents do not happen again,” they said.
