‘Acted in hot haste’: Calcutta HC orders return of Bengali migrants deported to Bangladesh
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Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court has quashed the Union government’s deportation orders against two migrant worker families from West Bengal, directing that six individuals pushed into Bangladesh earlier this year be brought back to India within four weeks.
A division bench of Justices Reetobroto Mitra and Tapabrata Chakraborty, while hearing two habeas corpus petitions, held that the authorities had “acted in hot haste” and “admittedly did not follow” the Union home ministry’s May 2 guidelines on identifying and deporting undocumented foreigners.
The deported group includes 26-year-old Sunali Khatun from Birbhum district, who was in an advanced stage of pregnancy. The court noted glaring inconsistencies in the official proceedings, observing that her interrogation report claimed she had crossed into India in 1998 even though her Aadhaar and PAN records proved she had not yet been born at that time.
Petitioners Bhodu Sekh and Amir Khan alleged that their relatives, who had moved to Delhi for employment, were detained in June, coerced into signing documents, and subsequently deported to Bangladesh through Guwahati.
The bench concluded that the deportations “raise a suspicion that the concerned authorities, while acting in hot haste, have clearly violated the provisions” of the May 2 instructions. It directed the Union government to coordinate with the Indian High Commission in Dhaka and ensure the six deportees’ repatriation. A government plea to stay the order was rejected.
The ruling has triggered a political row. Trinamool Congress (TMC) general secretary Abhishek Banerjee accused the BJP of targeting Bengali speakers, saying, “They are arresting and detaining people just for speaking Bengali… along with the slap that the high court delivered today, they must also apologise.”
BJP spokesperson Debjit Sarkar described the deportations as “an awful mistake” and called Khatun’s case “collateral damage,” but maintained that “lakhs of Bangladeshi infiltrators cannot be allowed to stay in our country using this instance as a shield."
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UP Cong holds statewide protest seeking probe into FIR against Swami Avimukteshwaranand
Lucknow (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Wednesday staged a statewide protest demanding a fair and transparent inquiry into the FIR lodged against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and those who filed the complaint against him.
In a statement issued here, the party said memorandums addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi were submitted through district magistrates in all districts of the state.
Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi told PTI that the memorandums were handed over through the district administration in all 75 districts.
In the memorandum, the party alleged that Saraswati and his disciples were "unnecessarily harassed and humiliated" by police on the occasion of Amavasya and were prevented from taking a ritual bath (at the Magh Mela). It further alleged that some disciples were manhandled and taken to a police station.
The memorandum also claimed that an FIR was later registered against Saraswati, his disciple Swami Mukundanand Brahmachari and several unidentified persons in a sexual harassment case. It termed the case a "conspiracy" aimed at tarnishing the seer's reputation.
Citing Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, the memorandum stated that these provisions guarantee religious freedom and the right of religious denominations to manage their own affairs.
It described the position of shankaracharya held by Saraswati as "one of the highest spiritual posts in Sanatan tradition" and alleged that the entire episode appeared to have been "orchestrated in a planned manner".
"We request that the background of the persons who got the FIR registered be investigated in a transparent manner by a retired high court judge and strict action be taken against them," the memorandum said.
It also sought a "fair and transparent probe" into the allegations levelled against Saraswati so that the truth could be established.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai had told reporters in Varanasi after meeting Saraswati that the party stood firmly with him.
The Congress said it would continue to press for an impartial inquiry into the entire episode.
On February 21, an FIR was lodged in Prayagraj against Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari on charges of sexually abusing two persons, including a minor, over the past year at a gurukul and religious congregations, including the recently concluded Magh Mela.
Days after he was booked, Saraswati had said on Monday that he would not oppose his arrest and asserted that the "fabricated story" would be exposed sooner or later.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Saraswati alleged that criminals rule in Uttar Pradesh, level allegations and influence investigations, as he denied having any contact with the two persons for whose alleged sexual abuse he has been booked.
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