Indian citizen stranded in Bangladesh after alleged illegal deportation by border forces
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Sahida Fakir, a 39-year-old Indian national, remains stranded in Bangladesh after being forcibly expelled from India by security forces who labeled her a Bangladeshi citizen. Despite possessing verified Indian identity documents, including a birth certificate, Aadhaar card, voter identification, and land deeds in West Bengal, Fakir was pushed across the border on July 24 following an ordeal that began with her detention in Mumbai.
Fakir, originally from North 24 Parganas, had been living in Mumbai with her husband for two decades. She recounts that while returning from a market on July 19, she was seized by plainclothes officers who confiscated her belongings, including her mobile phone and official identity cards. Held in a detention facility for five days without legal counsel, notification, or a court hearing, she was subsequently transferred to the Border Security Force (BSF), flown to India’s northeast, and eventually forced across the international border into Bangladesh. She has since found temporary refuge in the home of a local farmer in Satkhira’s Kalaroa upazila.
This case has drawn sharp condemnation from human rights organizations, including Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), which has petitioned senior Indian government officials to intervene. In a formal letter to India’s foreign and home secretaries, the group labeled the expulsion a violation of the Indian Constitution and Supreme Court rulings, noting that Fakir was denied any opportunity to defend her citizenship status. The organization has demanded a full investigation into the actions of the police and border guards involved in the incident.
The incident highlights a broader trend of “push-ins” at the India-Bangladesh border. Human Rights Watch (HRW) has previously voiced concerns regarding the summary expulsion of Bengali-speaking Muslims without due process, noting that such practices constitute a breach of fundamental human rights. According to the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), the frequency of these attempts has surged since May. BGB records indicate that between May 2025 and late January 2026, the BSF attempted to push 2,479 individuals into Bangladesh, of whom 120 were identified as Indian citizens.
Local authorities in Kalaroa, Bangladesh, have confirmed they are investigating the situation while monitoring Fakir’s presence. As Fakir awaits potential repatriation, she remains separated from her husband and two children, who are still in India. “I have spent my entire life in West Bengal, yet I am being treated as a foreigner,” Fakir said. “I am an Indian citizen, but now I cannot even return to my own country.”
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