For Amir Chand Sekh, the schoolteacher arrested for donating the corneas of his deceased mother as she had pledged, the real battle now lies beyond the courtroom — convincing his own community to accept organ donation.

A long-time advocate of the cause, Amir has spent decades organising awareness camps and persuading people in and around his village to embrace the idea. However, he says his efforts have struggled to take root on his home turf — Senpara village of Kalirhat, on the outskirts of Krishnanagar in Nadia.

Amir alleged that a small yet influential group had consistently discouraged such initiatives by spreading misinformation.

The schoolteacher said members of the same group had attacked his family on the night of February 8, shortly after his mother’s eyes had been retrieved. He was later arrested following allegations of organ theft. Although a police complaint has since been lodged against the attackers, Amir believes the movement cannot succeed unless members of the community themselves overcome the resistance and stigma surrounding organ donation.

Even as the legal battle continues, Amir is planning to relaunch his campaign from his own domain. Carrying the stigma of arrest and accusations of theft, he intends to begin a renewed awareness drive once he is acquitted of the charges and after completing his duties in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of the electoral roll, where he serves as a booth-level officer in the Krishnanagar 1 development block.

Despite the hostility, Amir remains determined. He is even considering approaching the local mosque committee to support the initiative, although some of his strongest detractors are associated with it. “There are people against me on my home turf, but I have to make them believe that organ donation is a holy task that serves humanity. Nothing is more important or glorious than helping someone. I am not against them. If people listen to the mosque committee, I can approach them, and they too can take up the issue,” Amir said about his endeavour.

In an area dominated by minorities and marked by illiteracy, Amir and his family stand out for their progressive outlook. Free from religious or communal prejudice, the family has long advocated education and knowledge, often facing resistance from within the community itself. “I am one of them, but they isolated me for my thoughts, which always speak for people from the core of my heart,” Amir said.

“I have long been working in different aspects of social and cultural development. My vision never matched the people who live in my area. Nevertheless, I tried to change their approach on different issues and even tried to convey a message about the need and importance of organ donation, leaving all prejudices and misconceptions aside. But a particular group has always created barriers by misleading people and sometimes even inciting them against me,” he added.

According to Amir, it was the same group that attacked his family on February 8, when the eyes of his mother were retrieved as per her pledge for donation to the eye bank of Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital. He alleged that even his elderly father-in-law, Abdur Rajjak Mondal, was assaulted. Mondal later filed a police complaint against nine persons, but Amir says no arrests have been made so far.

Amir’s mother, Rabeya Bibi Sekh, 63, had legally pledged her organs for medical science through the social organisation Gana Darpan. However, some neighbours accused Amir of organ theft and alerted the police, who, without verifying documents, acted on what he calls a fictitious complaint and arrested him along with five other family members.

“Now police have made my task tougher as it literally certified the allegations and suspicion about me by the arrest. This is quite horrible,” he said.

There has, however, been a glimmer of hope. Rashid Sekh, secretary of the mosque committee who had accused Amir of stealing the eyes and lodged the police complaint, has since admitted that filing the complaint against what he now calls a noble act was a mistake. Rashid has submitted an affidavit to the court, which helped secure Amir’s release from custody.

Blaming some villagers and the police for misleading him, Rashid expressed regret and signalled a shift in stance. “I am an illiterate person with little idea of organ donation. If given a chance, I would join his endeavour and extend all support to Amir to create awareness in our area,” he said.