The case of Mamtaz Begum, a 43-year-old woman from Assam’s Nagaon district who was allegedly deported to Bangladesh and has since gone missing, has now drawn the attention of Bangladesh authorities, while political organisations in Assam have intensified pressure on the government to trace her whereabouts.
According to reports, Bangladesh’s Ministry of Home Affairs has launched efforts to locate Mamtaz Begum, who was reportedly pushed across the border on the night between June 13 and 14. Senior officials in Dhaka have indicated that they are awaiting formal communication from the Government of India regarding the matter.
Bangladesh Home Ministry Additional Secretary Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed stated that police and other agencies have been instructed to search for Mamtaz, but no information regarding her whereabouts has been found so far. The Sylhet Metropolitan Police Commissioner also informed that local police conducted searches in their jurisdiction but were unable to trace her, and investigations remain ongoing.
Earlier, on September 3, the Gauhati High Court directed India’s Ministry of External Affairs to take steps to locate Mamtaz Begum in Bangladesh and facilitate her return to India. The court also ordered the Assam government to pay interim compensation of Rs 2 lakh to her husband, Muzammel Haque, observing that deporting her without informing her husband or other family members amounted to a serious violation of fundamental rights, human rights and democratic procedures.
The High Court further directed the police and Home Department to ensure that every declared foreigner is properly informed about tribunal orders and that adult family members are notified in writing before such persons are taken out of their districts.
Significantly, a Foreigners Tribunal in Nagaon had earlier declared Mamtaz Begum a foreigner. However, the Gauhati High Court later set aside the tribunal’s order, noting that it had failed to properly assess several documents submitted by her, including voter lists from 1965, 1970 and 1977, voter identity documents, certificates issued by village authorities, school records and land-related documents.
Mamtaz was detained by police on May 30 after appearing before the tribunal with her lawyer. She was subsequently kept at Juria and Nagaon police stations, transferred to the Matia detention centre in Goalpara and later shifted to the Iratiguri detention centre in Sribhumi district. On June 14, she was allegedly deported to Bangladesh through the Kalainchara border in Cachar district.
Meanwhile, the issue has taken a political turn ahead of the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election. The North East Minority Students’ Union (NEMSU) has demanded that the authorities trace Mamtaz Begum within 24 hours and reveal her current condition and location.
NEMSU president Badrul Islam warned that if the government fails to do so, the organisation would stage protests, including burning effigies of BJP candidate Debashish Sharma. The Minority Sangram Parishad has also demanded that the government immediately confirm Mamtaz’s whereabouts.
The organisations warned that failure to locate her by October 6 could have political repercussions in the upcoming by-election. They have also questioned the role of former Nagaon Deputy Commissioner and BJP candidate Debashish Sharma, under whose tenure the deportation order was reportedly executed.
Notably, a Bangladeshi daily newspaper, Manabkantha, published a report and photograph of Mamtaz Begum on September 22, stating that she had allegedly been pushed into Bangladesh late at night and may currently be somewhere in Sylhet or Mymensingh. More than three months after her deportation, her whereabouts remain unknown, deepening concerns among her family, human rights groups and civil society organisations in both India and Bangladesh.
