Fear drives a 1,400-km ride, Malda bros back home from Ggn in autos
Times of India | 7 August 2025
12 Malda: Israil and Ashraful had driven their autorickshaws in Gurgaon for years. They never could have imagined that those 3-wheelers would ever have even a 100-km-long run. However, times are such that things so outlandish are turning into stark reality. On Monday, the brothers reached their Malda homes in their autos, driving 1,400 km over two-and-a-half days. The reason? The mortal fear associated with being a migrant Bengali-speaking worker in Haryana.
It was 16 years ago that Israil Mia and Ashraful left Gazole in search of work. They tried their hands at different odd jobs in Gurgaon, saved money and then bought two autos. Their wives worked as domestic helps in Gurgaon's Sector 49. Israil's 9-year-old son also lived with them. However, things changed about a fortnight back. A relative, suspected of being an illegal Bangladeshi immigrant, was detained by police. However, even though cops released him two days later, trouble started for the two brothers. "The landlord had already given us notice to vacate the room. We have Aadhaar card and EPIC but were still afraid that police would pick us up. In such uncertainty, we decided to leave Gurgaon. But we couldn't leave our autos behind. That's when we decided to drive back home in autos," said Israil.
Their families and some essentials packed into the autos, the two brothers left Gurgaon on Aug 1. The journey, however, wasn't bereft of uncertainty. At each police checkpoint on the highway, they feared for the worst. While driving through UP, the brothers even had to bribe some cops so that they could pass. "We were scared and hardly took any rest on the road," said Ashraful.
From Bihar, the brothers' autos entered North Dinajpur's Raiganj and they lost their way. Finally, at South Dinajpur's Buniadpur, traffic cops guided them to the way home. There, district administration reached out to them. DM Nitin Singhania said, "We will help them in all possible ways.
"Now, safe at last, the brothers are worried about their future. They want to return to Gurgaon for work but said they would wait until the police harassment ends.