Mumbai: A year after being wrongly pushed into Bangladesh and later brought back after authorities confirmed their Indian citizenship, several Muslim migrant workers have returned to Mumbai in search of livelihood, saying economic necessity has outweighed the fear of another ordeal. The story was first reported by The Indian Express.
Among them is Mehbub Sheikh, a construction worker from Murshidabad, who said supporting his wife and two sons remains his highest priority despite lingering fears. “Should I choose fear or my family? I chose my family,” he said while explaining why he returned to Mumbai.
The group of seven was detained in Mumbai last year, taken to the Bangladesh border, and later brought back after the Centre and the Border Security Force acknowledged they were Indian citizens following discussions with Bangladeshi authorities. Their names were subsequently cleared during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
Another member of the group, Minarul Sheikh, said the incident left him financially devastated. He claimed people who owed him money refused repayment after he was branded a Bangladeshi, forcing him to sell family land to clear debts. He has since moved to Kashmir to restart his business while continuing to live with uncertainty.
Others, including Mostafa Kamal Sheikh and Shamim Khan, also returned to Mumbai after finding it difficult to earn a living in West Bengal. They said daily earnings in their home state were far lower than what they could earn as migrant workers in Mumbai.
Mostafa, who had earlier worked as a street vendor in Mumbai for nearly a decade, said he attempted to rebuild his life in Bengal after returning from Bangladesh. However, he struggled to replace documents allegedly taken during detention and found local earnings insufficient to support his family. He has now resumed work in Mumbai while staying in a rented room in Nalasopara.
The workers said political leaders had assured them of assistance after they were brought back, yet they claimed little practical support followed. Several said they rebuilt identity documents and completed the electoral verification process successfully, providing them some reassurance about their legal status.
The report also recounts the experience of Sunali Khatun of Birbhum, who was deported with her family and later returned following a Supreme Court order. While she is back in India, her husband remains across the border, and she says financial hardship continues to affect her family.
