The All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) has demanded that West Bengal Director General of Police Siddh Nath Gupta personally intervene in the case of Jalil Akhtar, a 66-year-old resident of North Dinajpur district, who has been held in judicial custody for over 75 days on suspicion of being an illegal Bangladeshi national. The demand was raised on Wednesday, 2 September, as family members and opposition leaders alleged that Akhtar's Indian citizenship documents were ignored by authorities.

How the Detention Unfolded

According to family members, Akhtar — a resident of Bagroi village under Bazargaon 2 panchayat in Dalkhola, North Dinajpur — was picked up from his home on 16 June by a team from Dalkhola police station. His daughter, Kulsum Khatun, told reporters that the family promptly approached the police station with documents they say establish her father's Indian citizenship, but their efforts were allegedly unsuccessful.

Akhtar was subsequently moved through two holding centres before being produced before a court in Islampur, North Dinajpur, on 22 July, where police described him as an illegal Bangladeshi national. He was arrested under Section 14 of the Foreigners Act. A senior police officer confirmed he remains in judicial custody and that the matter is sub judice.

TMC's Demand and What It Cited

TMC Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam raised the issue in a post on X, alleging a pattern of harassment against poor Indian citizens on suspicion of being Bangladeshi nationals. Islam drew a parallel with an earlier case involving Sunali Khatun, a woman from Birbhum who was allegedly deported to Bangladesh despite holding Indian citizenship documents, and was brought back only after public and political pressure.

Islam said, 'At this stage, it is imperative that the Director General of Police, West Bengal, personally looks into the matter, ensures that Jalil's citizenship documents are properly examined, and takes appropriate steps to protect him if he is found to be an Indian citizen. The person was a voter in the 2026 electoral roll and has land documents dating back many years.'

He added, 'If the allegations of unlawful detention, harassment or fabrication of a case are found to be true, appropriate action should also be taken against those responsible. We are with the family to provide legal support to them. We will see an end to such atrocities on poor people.'

BJP's Counter and the Political Backdrop

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Shatorupa responded by asserting there was no place for Bangladeshi infiltrators in West Bengal. She alleged that during the tenure of the previous Trinamool Congress government under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, infiltrators had been invited into the state and provided with documents and certificates — a charge the TMC has denied.

Shatorupa said, 'The new BJP government will not do any such thing. There is no sympathy for any infiltrator. Having said that, if anyone is mistakenly detained, then there will be an inquiry. Sometimes, it takes time to complete the inquiry. It is a matter for the administration. But no illegal citizen will be allowed to live in Bengal.'

A Recurring Pattern Under Scrutiny

This is not an isolated incident. The Birbhum deportation case had already drawn national attention to the risk of wrongful identification of Indian Muslims as illegal migrants — a concern that civil liberties groups and opposition parties have raised repeatedly. Notably, the Foreigners Act places the burden of proof on the detained individual to establish citizenship, a provision critics argue is structurally weighted against those with limited documentation access.

With the matter now sub judice and the DGP yet to formally respond, the case is likely to intensify political scrutiny over how West Bengal's law enforcement is handling citizenship verification in border-adjacent districts.