A Scroll Investigation Uncovers Multi-Generational Indian Families Targeted in Mass Police Drives
Across several states in India, police drives targeting Bengali-speaking migrant workers have escalated, operating under the suspicion that they are undocumented immigrants from Bangladesh. Yet, a recent investigation by Scroll.in has uncovered a disturbing trend: Indian citizens, some whose families have lived on the land for generations, are being detained, harassed, and forcibly deported, effectively splitting families and destroying livelihoods.
The drives, which authorities claim are aimed only at undocumented migrants, have sparked political outrage, particularly from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamita Banerjee, who alleges that workers from Bengal are being wrongfully targeted. The ground reality, however, reveals the profound human cost of these operations, where mere suspicion overpowers concrete, multi-generational proof of Indian citizenship.
💔 The Tragedy of Sonali Kun: Deported While Pregnant
The case of Sonali Kun illustrates the devastating speed and finality of these police actions.
On June 20, 2025, Sonali, her husband Danish, and their 8-year-old son were among those detained during a police swoop on a Delhi slum. Six days later, they were in Bangladesh, separated from the rest of their family.
Sonali’s parents, still in their ancestral home in Pikor village, Birbhum district, West Bengal, immediately began the frantic process of proving her Indian identity. The documents they gathered tell a clear story of deep, ancestral roots:
Official Documentation: Sonali’s Aadhaar card and ration card listed her birth date and her father’s name, Bodhushik.
Proof of Parentage: Voter ID cards confirmed the Indian citizenship of her mother, Josnar Bibbi (voter since 1995), and her father, Bodhushik.
Multi-Generational Proof: Crucially, her grandfather, Hatim Taiishek, was born around 1946 (pre-independence India), as confirmed by his 2006 voter ID. Further back, land records showed continuous ownership of the family’s property dating back to her great-grandfather.
Community Validation: The family even located the village midwife who had helped deliver Sonali, a powerful, if unconventional, witness to her Indian birth.
Despite this exhaustive proof—spanning five generations of continuous life in Pikor village—Sonali, Danish, and their son remain stranded. The family’s pursuit of justice in the courts is now complicated by a profound issue: Sonali was pregnant when deported. The question now looms: Will the child born to Indian citizens in a foreign land be considered Indian or Bangladeshi?
✅ Amir Shik’s Return: A Rare Victory After High Court Intervention
While the Kun family struggles, the experience of Amir Shik offers a glimmer of hope, though it underscores the effort required to reverse a wrongful deportation.
Amir, a 19-year-old from a village in Malda district, was picked up by the Rajasthan police in Bhilwara. He showed the police his Aadhaar card and birth certificate, a document rare among many migrant workers. Yet, he was pushed into Bangladesh.
His case involved strict criteria under Indian citizenship law, as he was born after December 3, 2004, requiring proof that both his parents were Indian citizens at the time of his birth. His family was able to satisfy this requirement with overwhelming evidence:
Document Type Detail Significance
Birth Certificate Confirmed his birth date (Dec 2, 2005) in India. Established his claim under the relevant citizenship rules.
Parental IDs Voter IDs of both parents, GM Shake and Ranobi, showing they were Indian citizens. Met the legal requirement for citizenship by birth post-2004.
Ancestral Land Records A 1941 land record belonging to an ancestor. Definitive proof of deep, pre-Partition residency on the soil.
After a video showing Amir stranded in Bangladesh went viral, his family petitioned the High Court. A day before the hearing, they received a call from the Border Security Force (BSF), and Amir was finally brought back to India on Independence Day. His case proves that wrongful deportations can be reversed, but only through relentless legal and media pressure.
😥 The Invisible Cost: Job Loss and Perpetual Fear
The crackdown has done more than just deport individuals; it has instilled a paralyzing fear that affects hundreds of thousands of Bengali migrant workers, even those who escape detention.
Mahaboo Shik, from Balya Hosen Nagar in Moshidabad district, was detained by police in Mumbai and swiftly deported to Bangladesh. Like Amir, he was returned only after the West Bengal government intervened. His family provided the necessary proof, including his 1987-dated Aadhaar card and a Panchayat-issued document based on his family’s land records. Even neighbors were ready to vouch for his family’s multi-generational presence in the village.
Despite being proven innocent, the trauma has changed his life. His wife, terrified of another incident, pleaded with him not to return to Mumbai. Honoring her request, Mahaboo now works as a mason in Kolkata, earning significantly less than he made in the metropolis.
“The money here is less, but the place is near,” Mahaboo said, capturing the difficult trade-off migrant workers now face: choose lower wages and security closer to home, or risk deportation for higher earnings far away.
The investigation concludes that for every high-profile case like Amir’s, there are countless others who, fearing harassment, have lost their hard-earned city jobs. They return to their villages, their livelihoods shattered, compelled to carry their documents everywhere they go—a constant, visible symbol of the fear that they could, at any moment, be stripped of their identity and nation.
The police drives, intended to secure the border, are instead creating a humanitarian crisis within India, turning established citizens into stateless persons and leaving a trail of broken families and economic ruin.
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