IT Correspondent
Mumbai, Feb 24:
The BJP’s North Mumbai Minority cell’s President Rubel Jonu Sheikh(24) who was arrested by Malwani Police late last month for being an illegal Bangladeshi immigrant, faces deportation.
Sheikh was arrested on January 30, 2021, from the Ambujwadi area of Malvani in Malad West in north Mumbai after police laid a trap near Ambedkar Chowk and nabbed him. When inquired, he was unable to produce valid documents to prove that he is an Indian citizen.
During a search of his house, police found a residence certificate of Malapota gram Panchayat, 24 North Pargana district, West Bengal. His school’s name was shown as Bolganda Adarsh High School in Nadia district. However, when a police team went to Malapota gram panchayat, the police came to know that the panchayat did not have any resident named Rubel Jonu Sheikh.
When documents were verified at the Nadia district collector’s office, it was found that the school-leaving certificate held by him was issued in someone else’s name. Besides, the school mentioned in his document did not exist in Nadia. During verification, the cops found all the documents fake and forged, with no history in the collectorate office as well.
A further probe revealed that he is a Bangladeshi national and had been living in the country without a valid visa since 2011. He was a resident of Bovaliya village in Bangladesh. As such he was arrested and booked under relevant sections of the Passport Act and Foreigners Act 1946.
“We have arrested the accused for illegal stay in India. Based on fake documents he even made Aadhar Card and Pan Card. Currently, he is in judicial custody and being interrogated to find leads on any of his accomplices who could be living under the same arrangements. After investigation is complete, the only remedy is to deport him, Senior Police Inspector Shekhar H. Bhalerao told the “Transcontinental Times”.
Facebook account
Sheikh worked for the BJP party and became president of BJP’s North Mumbai minority cell. The signboards complimenting him on his appointment appeared in the Malwani area and also in his Facebook account. In his FB account, he stated that he “Moved to Mumbai, Maharashtra on 27 December 2020”.
NCP spokesperson Mahesh Tapase wrote a letter to state home minister Anil Deshmukh seeking an investigation into the Bangladesh connection. “I am surprised that BJP leaders, who are always on the forefront for action against people speaking against them, terming them anti-nationals, are silent on this issue,” he said.
Congress leader Sachin Sawant, slamming the BJP over the arrest, tweeted: “Is this BJP’s ‘Sangh Jihad’? Some BJP leaders are found smuggling Gaumata and some are proved to be ISI agents. Now one Rubel Sheikh, the president of the minority cell of BJP turned out to be Bangladeshi. Is there a provision given in the CAA act for BJP?”
Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on February 20, told media that an office-bearer of the BJP is a Bangladeshi and had been staying in the country with fake documents. He said Rubel Jonu Shaikh, had obtained an Aadhaar card and PAN card but the Mumbai police had found that the 24 North Parganas address and school details in West Bengal he had furnished was fake. “I wonder how the BJP made him an office-bearer without checking his documents or verifying his credentials,” Deshmukh said.
BJP vice president Chitra Wagh said her party would not defend any wrongdoing, if any, on the part of Shaikh but added the “Maha Vikas Aghadi” Maharashtra government must show “similar enthusiasm” to find out similar cases in the NCP, Congress, etc.
BJP leader and legislator Ashish Shelar claimed that “None of our party workers or office-bearers belongs to Bangladesh. Police are free to take action against any such person if they have sufficient evidence. Sawant’s allegations are baseless and levelled for the sake of publicity. We would not ask him which country his party president belongs to,” he added.
