‘I Am an Indian’: Assam Teacher's Ordeal After Being Allegedly Deported to Bangladesh

In a disturbing episode that raises urgent questions about due process and citizenship rights in India, Khairul Islam, a 51-year-old former government teacher from Assam’s Morigaon district, returned home on June 6 after allegedly being pushed across the international border into Bangladesh. The incident, as reported by Scroll, unfolded around Eid and has cast a shadow on the treatment of individuals branded “foreigners” in Assam.

Islam’s ordeal began on the night of May 23, when Assam Border Police reportedly detained him from his residence in Khandapukhuri village. Four days later, he found himself in a no man’s land between India’s South Salmara and Bangladesh’s Kurigram district, along with 13 others accused of being “infiltrators.”

A video shared by a Bangladeshi journalist on May 27 showed Islam standing helplessly in a field, hands tied, stating that he had pleaded with police to recognize him as a teacher and an Indian citizen. “I told the Assam police that I am a teacher. They tied my hands like I was a thief,” he said in the video. The imagery alone is heartbreaking—an Indian citizen rendered stateless by the very system meant to protect him.

Islam's case is far from simple, but his story is not unique. In 2016, a Foreigners Tribunal declared him a foreigner—a decision upheld by the Gauhati High Court (HC) in 2018. He spent two years in the Matia Detention Centre before securing bail in 2020. His appeal remains pending in the Supreme Court. Yet despite being on bail and living with his family, Islam was reportedly taken once again and forced across the border, as if legal proceedings and documentation held no weight.

According to his statement to Scroll, he was first taken to the Morigaon SP office, then transferred to Matia camp. He alleges that he was beaten when he resisted boarding the vehicle that ultimately took him to the border. “Why would I go to Bangladesh? I am Indian,” he said.

For two nights, he survived in no man’s land. Eventually, the group was taken into custody by Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB), before seven of them—including Islam—were returned to Indian territory. He remained in Assam Police custody until his release on June 6.

His wife, Rita Khanam, had submitted all documents to the authorities in a desperate attempt to bring him back. The SP reportedly assured that Islam would return within a few days—an assurance that now seems hollow given the trauma he endured.

What stands out most is not just the violation of legal norms but the human toll of such actions. Islam’s voice resonates with countless others caught in the tangled web of Assam’s citizenship verification system. “No Indian should be treated this way,” he said after returning. “We are swadesi. We have documents. Yet we were thrown out.”

On Eid, a day meant for celebration, Islam sat at home and reflected instead on justice. “Malik ekjon ase,” he said. The Almighty will deliver justice.

If anything, this episode highlights the urgent need for transparency, compassion, and legal accountability in the handling of citizenship disputes. Otherwise, the line between protecting borders and persecuting our own will only continue to blur.

Also Read: BSF Deportation Sparks Border Standoff at Assam's Mankachar; BGB Claims 'Not Our Citizens'