Guwahati: Khairul Islam, a former school teacher from Morigaon district, returned to his home on Saturday after Assam Police detained him on charges of being a foreigner and allegedly deported him to Bangladesh, an official confirmed.
His family members stated that police brought him home on Saturday morning, amidst dramatic claims of seeing him in a video purportedly showing his transfer.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
Notably, Assam Police picked up Islam and eight other individuals from various parts of the Morigaon district on May 24.
Islam’s family had previously claimed to have seen him in a video purportedly showing authorities transferring him to Bangladesh, even alleging that border guards shot at him near the India-Bangladesh border in South Salmara Mankachar district.
An official of the Assam Border Police stated that they had conducted a medical check-up on Islam upon his return and found him physically fit.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
However, the officer declined to disclose details regarding where authorities had detained Islam during the period.
Sources indicate that the police have since shifted the other eight persons arrested along with Islam to a detention centre at Matia in Goalpara district.
Their families maintain that their appeals challenging their ‘foreigner’ declarations are pending before either the Supreme Court or the Gauhati High Court.
Islam’s wife, Rita Khanam, had told the media persons on Friday that her husband is a law-abiding citizen and a former school teacher.
She alleged that policemen took him from their residence at night on May 24, assuring his return after questioning, but no information on his whereabouts was provided until the video surfaced.
The Foreigner Tribunals declared Islam, along with his three siblings, a foreigner in 2016. He had subsequently challenged this decision at the Gauhati High Court, which upheld the FT’s ruling, leading to his initial detention in 2018.