Family's Desperate Wait as Pregnant Sunali Stuck in Bangladesh Jail
The family of 25-year-old Sunali Khatun watches the calendar with growing dread as each passing day brings her closer to delivering her baby in a Bangladesh jail, far from her home in West Bengal. The Supreme Court has now stepped into the situation, asking the Centre to bring back Sunali and other Bengal residents deported to Bangladesh on suspicion of being foreigners.
The court has posted the matter for next hearing on December 1, seeking the government's response on bringing them back as an interim measure and giving them an opportunity for a hearing.
Legal Maze Complicates Pregnant Woman's Return
Sunali's case has become increasingly urgent as she could go into labor at any moment. Her lawyer in Bangladesh, Advocate Shofiq Enaetullah, expressed serious concerns about the additional complications if she gives birth in Bangladesh. "A baby born in foreign land will further add to the legal complexities around Sunali's case," he told The Indian Express.
The legal situation took a positive turn when the Chapainawabganj District Court in Bangladesh declared on October 3 that Sunali and others appeared to be Indian citizens based on their Aadhaar cards and West Bengal residential addresses. The court even sent a letter to the Indian Embassy in Dhaka seeking initiation of "the pushback process."
However, the next court hearing on November 30 brings new fears. Enaetullah worries that "the framing of charges will start soon" under the Passport Act and Foreigners' Act, which could lead to a year-long jail sentence if they're found guilty.
Family's Emotional Struggle and False Hopes
Back in Paikar village in Birbhum, Sunali's father Bhodu Sheikh experiences a mixture of hope and despair. "First, the High Court ordered that they be brought back within four weeks. But that passed and nothing happened," he says, referring to the Calcutta High Court's September 26 order.
While acknowledging the Supreme Court intervention as "a ray of hope," Sheikh remains cautious. "It is the highest court of the country... However, we will not believe she will return until we see her in the flesh."
The family has had minimal contact with Sunali since her deportation around five months ago, with only one phone conversation soon after her arrest. Sunali's sister Karishma, who lives in Delhi with their mother and Sunali's five-year-old daughter, reveals the emotional toll: "Sunali's daughter cries for her every night. It has been months since she saw her mother, father and brother."
Health Concerns and Desperate Pleas
Social worker Mofizul Islam, who met Sunali at court on November 20, describes her emotional state: "She was crying. She wants desperately to return home, and to deliver the baby in India because she has heard that otherwise it would be tough for her to go back."
While jail authorities claim to be providing adequate medical care, including recent ultrasound tests showing the baby is okay, the family remains worried about the quality of care she's receiving in detention.
Supporters have taken steps to improve their conditions, depositing 9,000 Bangladeshi Taka for better food through the jail canteen and providing winter clothes for all the imprisoned family members.
Background of the Deportation Case
The ordeal began on June 26 when Delhi Police picked up Sunali's family and another family headed by Sweety Bibi, including children aged six and sixteen, on suspicion of being illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators. The families, migrant labourers from Bengal who had been working as ragpickers in Delhi for about twenty years, were later pushed into Bangladesh.
On August 21, Bangladesh Police arrested them in Chapainawabganj under the Passport Act and Foreigners' Act, beginning their prolonged detention.
Samirul Islam, Chairman of the West Bengal Welfare Board and TMC Rajya Sabha MP who is assisting the families, highlighted the government's inaction in a social media post, noting that the Calcutta High Court's four-week deadline for their return was never complied with.
As the legal battle continues and Sunali's pregnancy advances, her family and supporters hope the Supreme Court's intervention will finally bring her home before she gives birth in a foreign jail, a circumstance that could further complicate her already difficult situation.
