Bengal youth Sekabul Sk reunited with family after year in Chennai shelter
Synopsis
A mentally-challenged youth from Murshidabad spent over a year in a Chennai homeless shelter — unknown, unclaimed, lost in a language gap. It took a retired official's compassion and a network of amateur radio hobbyists to do what formal systems could not: bring Sekabul Sk home.
Key Takeaways
Sekabul Sk , a resident of Sridharpur, Murshidabad , West Bengal, had been living at a Chennai homeless shelter for over a year.
He was taken into custody by Chennai police and later declared mentally unstable by doctors; a court ordered his shelter placement.
A retired government employee visiting Chennai alerted the West Bengal Radio Club (WBRC) after photographing Sekabul at the shelter.
The WBRC circulated his photographs to amateur radio operators across West Bengal and identified him within a short time.
Sekabul's parents in Murshidabad have been contacted and are travelling to Chennai to bring him home.
A mentally-challenged youth from West Bengal, identified as Sekabul Sk, is set to be reunited with his family after spending more than a year at a shelter for the urban homeless in Chennai — a resolution made possible by the combined efforts of a retired government employee and a network of amateur radio operators.
How Sekabul Ended Up in Chennai
The circumstances under which Sekabul Sk, a resident of Sridharpur in Lalkhandiar, Murshidabad district, arrived in Chennai remain unclear. He was found wandering through several neighbourhoods of the city before police took him into custody on suspicion of theft.
At the police station, officers were unable to gather meaningful information from him due to a language barrier. Even when communication was attempted, what Sekabul said was reportedly incoherent. He was subsequently produced before a court, which ordered a medical examination.
Court Orders Shelter Stay After Medical Examination
Doctors declared Sekabul mentally unstable following the examination. The court then directed that he be sent to the Shelter for the Urban Homeless, a vagrants' home operated under the Greater Chennai Municipal Corporation. He remained there for over a year with no contact with his family.
Retired Official and Radio Club Break the Deadlock
The breakthrough came when a retired government employee — who has requested anonymity — visited Chennai and learned of Sekabul's situation at the shelter. The official visited him, clicked photographs, and passed them on to the West Bengal Radio Club (WBRC), an organisation of amateur radio operators known for using their hobby to trace and reunite missing persons with their families.
'We tried to communicate with the youth and realised that he is from West Bengal. We then circulated his photographs to all our friends (also HAMs) across the state. We got a result soon,' said Ambarish Nag Biswas, Secretary of the WBRC.
Family Contacted, Reunion Imminent
Once Sekabul's identity and home district were confirmed, his parents in Murshidabad were contacted. A video call was arranged by Chennai authorities, allowing the family to see their son for the first time in over a year.
'All arrangements have been made. The parents will be travelling to Chennai soon with all documents to bring back their son. We are happy that we have succeeded to get yet another lost person with his family. We also thank the retired government officials who informed us about Sekabul,' Nag Biswas said.
This case highlights the critical role that civil society networks — particularly volunteer-run organisations like the WBRC — play in bridging gaps left by language barriers and administrative limitations in inter-state welfare cases. The reunion is expected to be completed shortly once the family arrives in Chennai with the necessary documentation.
Point of View
Inter-state welfare coordination, and language access. A person declared mentally unstable by a court spent over a year in a municipal shelter with no mechanism to trace his origins — not because the information was unavailable, but because no formal system was tasked with finding it. The resolution came from a retired citizen and a hobbyist radio club, not from any government protocol. That gap deserves scrutiny: India has no standardised inter-state missing persons framework for individuals in institutional care, and language barriers in welfare settings remain an unaddressed administrative blind spot.
NationPress
12 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Sekabul Sk and where is he from?
Sekabul Sk is a mentally-challenged youth from Sridharpur in Lalkhandiar, Murshidabad district, West Bengal. He had been living at a shelter for the urban homeless in Chennai for over a year after being found wandering in the city.
How was Sekabul Sk identified and traced to his family?
A retired government employee visiting Chennai learned of his plight at the shelter and photographed him. Those photographs were shared with the West Bengal Radio Club (WBRC), whose amateur radio operators circulated them across the state and identified him as a Murshidabad resident.
Why was Sekabul Sk in a Chennai shelter for so long?
After being picked up by police, Sekabul was produced before a court, which ordered a medical examination. Doctors declared him mentally unstable, and the court directed that he be housed at the Shelter for the Urban Homeless under the Greater Chennai Municipal Corporation. A language barrier and his incoherent communication made identification difficult.
What is the West Bengal Radio Club and what role did it play?
The West Bengal Radio Club (WBRC) is an organisation of amateur radio operators, or HAMs, who use their skills and networks to help reunite missing or displaced persons with their families. In this case, WBRC Secretary Ambarish Nag Biswas coordinated the identification of Sekabul by circulating his photographs to members across West Bengal.
When will Sekabul Sk return home?
According to WBRC Secretary Ambarish Nag Biswas, all arrangements have been made and Sekabul's parents are travelling to Chennai with the necessary documents to bring him back. The reunion is expected shortly.
