Exiled Bangladeshi writer, blogger, and human rights activist Abdullah Al Masud has been arrested in India. On November 3, he was summoned to the Kalyani Police Station in Nadia district of West Bengal and taken into custody under Section 23A of the Foreigners Act. At around 10 AM on November 3, police formally detained him and sent him to judicial custody as per court order. His next court date has been scheduled for November 17.
According to sources, earlier on October 27, he had been held for four consecutive days at the Goyeshpur Police Outpost under Kalyani Police Station. After a search, he was taken to the FRRO where an application for visa renewal was filed on his behalf, and he was subsequently released. Later, on November 2, he received a notice to appear again at the police station. When he presented himself on November 3, he was arrested.
Under Section 23A of the Foreigners Act, if the charges are proven, he may face up to five years in prison along with fines, and upon completion of the sentence, he may be deported to Bangladesh. Human rights activists warn that if he is forced to return to Bangladesh, he faces a very high risk of being killed.
Mufti Abdullah Al Masud publicly renounced Islam in 2017. He has been openly critical of Islamic extremism and religious fundamentalism. He has continuously spoken against child abuse in madrasas and oppressive religious education practices. Recently, he published his first book titled “Nastik Imam-er Hajj” (“The Atheist Imam’s Pilgrimage”) from India. He is widely known as “Mufti Masud.”
Before leaving religion, he served as an imam at a madrasa in Dhaka and was also the principal of another madrasa. He holds the religious titles of Hafiz, Maulana, and Mufti. Due to his criticism of Islam, he received death threats from several extremist groups in Bangladesh, prompting him to leave the country and seek safety in India.
Reports indicate that he entered India on a valid visa and renewed it multiple times. However, after his passport expired, his visa renewal application was rejected by the FRRO when he attempted to obtain a new passport. Since then, he had been trying to secure visa approval once again.
Human rights activists have expressed concern regarding his personal safety while in prison. They fear that his life may be at risk due to the presence of extremist inmates in various Indian prisons.
Following news of his arrest, bloggers, human rights activists, and members of civil society across Bangladesh, India, and other countries have expressed concern on social media. Many have been seen using the hashtag #FreeMuftiMasud to demand his release on humanitarian grounds.
Date: November 7, 2025
এই আর্টিকেলটি বাংলায় পড়তে চাইলে এখানে ক্লিক করুন
