Illegal Bangladeshi immigrant becomes village head in India? Who is TMC leader Lovely Khatun?

The allegations against Lovely Khatun include forging documents such as her identity certificate and OBC status to establish her election eligibility.

The case of Lovely Khatun, the head of Rashidabad Gram Panchayat in West Bengal, is making headlines as allegations surface claiming she is a Bangladeshi national who illegally entered India. Her party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), has initiated an inquiry into the matter, while the Calcutta High Court has demanded a report on the accusations.

The allegations against Lovely Khatun include forging documents such as her identity certificate and OBC status to establish her election eligibility. The petitioner claims there is evidence to prove that Khatun changed her identity, including altering her name and official records. 

This comes at a time when seven people have been arrested for allegedly making passports with forged documents for Bangladesh nationals, who had illegally entered the country.

Who is Lovely Khatun?

According to a report by TV9 Bangla, Lovely Khatun’s real name is Nasia Sheikh. She, allegedly entered India without a passport and erased her previous identity. Reports suggest she changed her father’s name to Sheikh Mustafa, which is reflected in her official documents. She reportedly obtained a voter ID in 2015 and a birth certificate in 2018. However, it is claimed that her actual father’s name is Jameel Biswas.

The allegations against Khatun were brought to the Calcutta High Court by Rehana Sultana, a resident of Chanchal, who contested against Khatun in the 2022 Gram Panchayat elections but lost.

When confronted by TV9 Bangla for her response, Lovely Khatun dismissed the allegations, stating, “I am busy and cannot comment on this matter right now.” Her lack of clarification has only fueled further speculation.

Political and legal angle

An Indian Express report states that Rehana’s lawyer, Amlan Bhattacharya, claimed that Rehana contested as a TMC candidate but was defeated by Khatun, who ran as the Congress-Left alliance candidate. A month or two after winning, Khatun switched allegiance to the TMC.

Rehana has accused Khatun of being a Bangladeshi immigrant and obtaining an Aadhaar card and birth certificate using fake documents. Bhattacharya further alleged that Khatun manipulated local records to prove her eligibility for elections. It is claimed that she even approached someone in a neighboring village to pose as her father. Locals reportedly know that Khatun’s real father is Jameel Biswas, not Sheikh Mustafa, as stated in her documents. Additionally, her name does not appear under Sheikh Mustafa’s family in the National Population Register (NPR).