Janata Dal-United (JD-U) legislator Gopal Kumar Agarwal, who represents the Thakurganj assembly constituency in Kishanganj, Bihar, has triggered a sharp political controversy after he allegedly described the Shershahbadi Muslim community as 'Bangladeshis' in a letter addressed to Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary. The letter, written on 16 May, demanded the removal of teachers from the Shershahbadi community who serve as Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in the Thakurganj block, accusing them of allegedly adding illegal Bangladeshi citizens to the electoral rolls.

What the Letter Said

According to reports, MLA Agarwal wrote to the Chief Minister seeking the ouster of Shershahbadi community members from BLO positions, alleging that they were manipulating voter lists. The letter reportedly described the community — which is Bengali-speaking and has roots in the region going back generations — as 'Bangladeshis', a characterisation that community leaders and opposition politicians have strongly rejected. Agarwal also allegedly claimed in a separate context that the Shershahbadi community had occupied 1,600 acres of land, and had spoken of redistributing it among Surjapuri and Dalit communities, according to Congress MLA Md. Qamrul Hoda.

Community Leaders and Opposition Push Back

Under the banner of the All Bihar Shershahbadi Association, a delegation including Congress National Secretary Tauquir Alam and Congress MLA Md. Qamrul Hoda submitted a memorandum to the District Magistrate of Kishanganj, demanding action against the MLA's remarks. Alam described Agarwal as someone who spreads 'hatred' and questioned the legitimacy of the label. 'From day one he is trying to break the unity and integrity of this place and harmony between communities. How dare he call a community, who abides by the Constitution, as Bangladeshis,' Alam told reporters. He further alleged that the JD-U legislator was targeting the Shershahbadi community for political gain and to enhance his own security profile, and asserted the matter would be pursued in court.

Electoral Roll Revision Cited as Rebuttal

Congress MLA Hoda pointed to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls conducted across Bihar in 2025, which he said had conclusively established that no Bangladeshi immigrant resides in Kishanganj. 'That means you are challenging the SIR,' Hoda said, framing the MLA's letter as a direct challenge to an officially completed government exercise. He also alleged that Agarwal's remarks were designed to create a wedge between the Shershahbadi and Surjapuri communities in the district.

AIMIM Joins the Condemnation

Bihar All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Akhtarul Iman also condemned the remark, questioning how such a characterisation could be made after the SIR process had been completed. He demanded that Agarwal retract his statement and called for the formation of an inquiry committee to examine what he termed 'false claims'. Tension has prevailed within the Shershahbadi community since the letter came to light, according to reports from the district.

Broader Context

The Shershahbadi community is a Bengali-speaking Muslim group with a long-established presence in the Kishanganj region of Bihar, which borders West Bengal and Bangladesh. The district's demographic composition has historically made it a flashpoint for identity-based political mobilisation. This is not the first time that Bengali-speaking Muslims in Bihar's border districts have faced questions about their nationality — critics argue that such rhetoric intensifies ahead of electoral cycles and exploits linguistic identity as a proxy for citizenship status. The controversy comes amid a nationally heightened climate around illegal immigration, the National Register of Citizens (NRC), and voter list integrity.