A pregnant Muslim woman from West Bengal, Sunali Khatun, 25, who was previously pushed into Bangladesh on suspicion of being an illegal immigrant, returned to India on Friday following intervention by the Supreme Court, officials reported.
Sunali re-entered India with her eight-year-old son through the Mehadipur border outpost in Malda district after a flag meeting between the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB).
Sunali, along with her husband Danish Sheikh, their son, and another woman, Sweety Bibi, 32, and her two children, were detained by the Delhi Police in June. They were subsequently deported across the India-Bangladesh border on June 26, nearly a week after their detention. At that time, Sunali was pregnant.
While the Indian government has contested the citizenship status of the remaining four family members, it agreed to repatriate Sunali on “humanitarian grounds.” Danish, Sweety, and her children remain in Bangladesh.
Upon her return, Sunali expressed her gratitude and stated, “I am very happy to return to India… I just want my husband to be brought back safely as well.”
Both families were arrested in Bangladesh on August 21 under the Passport Act and Foreigners Act. They were granted bail by the Chapainawabganj district court on December 1 and stayed with a relative in Bangladesh with the court’s permission.
West Bengal Migrant Labourers Welfare Board chairman and Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam welcomed Sunali’s return, tweeting, “Finally, after a long battle against the Bangla-Birodhi Zamindars, Sunali Khatun and her minor son have returned to India.”
He highlighted the systemic issues faced by impoverished Bengalis and criticized the central government for their handling of the case. “Our advocates were compelled to mention the matter again before the Supreme Court today, and only then was the return made possible,” he added.
On September 26, the Calcutta High Court ordered that all six members of the two families be repatriated to West Bengal within four weeks. A subsequent court ruling on October 3 declared the families Indian citizens based on their Aadhaar details and residential addresses.
After her return, Sunali and her son were handed over to the West Bengal Police and taken to Malda Medical College and Hospital for monitoring. Chief Medical Officer of Health Sudipto Bhaduri confirmed that Sunali, while stable, was being treated for anemia and would be under observation for at least 24 hours.
AITC State General Secretary Tanmoy Ghosh condemned the incident, asserting that speaking Bengali should not lead to persecution and calling attention to the government’s treatment of Bengali identity. He shared concerns regarding the central government’s bias against Bengali-speaking Muslims, often labeled as “Bangladeshi infiltrators.”
Lawyer Sanjay Hegde expressed relief over Sunali’s return, expressing appreciation for the efforts made in the case. He emphasized the importance of ensuring justice for those wrongfully labeled as illegal immigrants.
The situation has raised significant concerns regarding treatment of Bengali-speaking Muslims in India, prompting debates about the broader implications of citizenship laws and systemic discrimination.
Tags: After Supreme Court steps in, pregnant Muslim woman pushed into Bangladesh returns Extract 5 SEO-friendly keywords as tags. Output only keywords, comma separated.
Hashtags: #Supreme #Court #steps #pregnant #Muslim #woman #pushed #Bangladesh #returns
