Cannot live like this, says West Bengal man detained again in ‘illegal immigrants’ drive
Rafikul Biswas, a West Bengali Muslim, faces repeated detention as an 'illegal immigrant,' questioning his identity and belonging in India.
“Every time someone asks us where we are from, our fear cannot be described. Once you say West Bengal and if you’re a Muslim, the instant reply is, ‘Go to Bangladesh’. What does it take to prove that we are Indians?”, Rafikul Biswas questioned.
Published - August 22, 2026 09:07 am IST - Bengaluru:
Rafikul Biswas with his daughter. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Four days after the High Court of Karnataka held that the EPIC (voter card) issued to him following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal was “genuine”, Rafikul Biswas, 32, who had been framed as an illegal Bangladeshi immigrant living in Bengaluru, found himself in jail again when the Bengaluru City police launched “Operation Mukta”, a drive against illegal immigrants.
While he got relief in a previous case of detention on August 4, 2026, he was again detained during Operation Mukta on August 8. “I consistently pleaded with the police, showing a copy of the High Court order that had quashed my case. It is better I die. I cannot live under this pressure and stress to prove that I am an Indian,” he said. He was finally released after activists persuaded the police about the recent High Court order, the same day.
Originally from Nadia district in West Bengal and living in Bengaluru for the last 12 years with his wife and daughter, Rafikul says he has been targeted by the city police. The claims took shape after someone, who remains unknown even after 11 months, made a Bangladeshi identity card in his name, claiming that he was a citizen of Bangladesh living in India. What followed was consistent harassment and pressure that he would be deported to Bangladesh, he recalled.
Within 11 months, Rafikul said the constant harassment and stress gave him two heart attacks. One occurred while he was in jail, following which he was released on medical grounds due to the health emergency and taken to Jayadeva Hospital for treatment.
After the court’s order, Rafikul thought he would be saved from having to prove his citizenship again. The court proceedings involved the intervention of the then West Bengal government, when the Trinamool Congress was in power, and a thorough investigation of his family history.
“After showing all possible documents, getting beaten up a number of times, and receiving the High Court order, I believed this would never happen again, but within days, the Bandepalya police came for me again, “ he said.
“I was working as a school bus driver for a private school, and everything was fine until the allegations surfaced and someone made the fake ID. I was removed from my job. Since then, I have been collecting scrap and earning my living.”
“Where I belong, only men can work and women are not allowed to leave their homes without their husbands. The payment isn’t fair too. We came to Bengaluru so that both my wife and I could earn our meals and our daughter could study. But now, we are scared to live here,“ Rafikul said.
“Every time someone asks us where we are from, our fear cannot be described. Once you say West Bengal and if you’re a Muslim, the instant reply is, ‘Go to Bangladesh’. What does it take to prove that we are Indians?” he questioned.
Published - August 22, 2026 09:07 am IST
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