Bengal teacher arrested in false organ trafficking case for honouring his mother’s wish to donate her eyes

A teacher from West Bengal’s Nadia district in the Krishnanagar area was allegedly arrested in a fake organ trafficking case after donating his mother’s eyes following her death.

The teacher said that they had proof of donating the deceased’s eyes with prior consent. The teacher got bail on Thursday (February 12, 2026) and resumed his duties as a Booth Level Officer (BLO) in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision work in West Bengal on Friday (February 13, 2026).

On February 8, Amir Chand Sheikh’s mother Rabiya Bibi passed away and as per her last wish, her son, Mr. Sheikh, called the medical team to donate her eyes.

When the medical team arrived to medically remove the corneas of the deceased Ms. Bibi, locals alleged an organ trafficking scandal and protested. A neighbour filed a written complaint with the local police. 

Along with Mr Sheikh, four other family members were also arrested, including three women, all of whom spent three days in jail.

The arrests brought massive criticism. On Thursday evening (February 12, 2026), when they got bail at the local court, the family of five were welcomed by many locals and neighbours. 

“I never asked my mother to donate her eyes. She was inspired on her own when she realised that blind people would be able to see if she donated her eyes and wanted us to do the donation after her death,” Mr. Sheikh told reporters after being released from jail. He added that if people get harassed for donating organs with consent, this will create a sense of fear, which in turn will hamper voluntary organ donation, depriving patients of a second chance at life.

During his arrest on Monday (February 9, 2026), Mr. Sheikh alleged that people did not like his social work and were falsely accusing him of organ trafficking and maligning his family’s name. 

After the arrests, the local Inspector-in-Charge of Krishnanagar Kotwali Police Station on Tuesday (February 10, 2026) said that they got information on the night of February 8 that Mr. Sheikh and his family had “sold” their deceased mother’s eyes. 

“We got a formal complaint and made the arrests. They were not able to produce any proper documents. Organ trafficking is a serious crime, and we are currently investigating all possibilities and collecting evidence. They have gotten bail. We will continue our investigations into the matter,” IC Amalendu Biswas told The Hindu on Friday (February 13, 2026). 

However, activists from Ganadarpan (a prominent NGO that works in organ donation and advocacy) who conducted the donation work confirmed that they have a signed pledge from the deceased Ms. Bibi from October 17, 2024, where she had consented to donate her eyes after her death. 

“In such cases, the consent of the family is the most important according to the law. All of them agreed to donate. Then why did the police make arrests? Mr. Sheikh was only released on bail; we demand that the case against him be squashed because there was no wrongdoing here,” Sudipta Saha Roy, general secretary of Ganadarpan, said on Friday (February 13, 2026). 

He further added that the donated cornea of the deceased Ms. Bibi has already been taken to the Murshidabad Government Medical College and is set to offer a new vision to many patients in need.