In a significant development, Sunali Khatun, a resident of Birbhum who is nine months and twelve days pregnant, finally returned to Indian soil on Friday evening. Her return marks the end of a gruelling six-month ordeal during which she, along with her eight-year-old son Shabir, was wrongfully detained as an illegal immigrant, pushed into Bangladesh, and imprisoned there.
A Long-Awaited Homecoming
Sunali Khatun and her son entered West Bengal through the Mahadipur border checkpoint in Malda around 7 pm. They were received by zilla parishad sabhadhipati Lipika Ghosh and other Trinamool Congress functionaries. Given her advanced pregnancy and the traumatic experience, officials took her directly to Malda Medical College and Hospital. Doctors conducted necessary tests to determine when she would be fit to undertake the four-and-a-half-hour road journey to her home in Birbhum.
The family's nightmare began on June 17 in Delhi, where Sunali, her husband Danish Sk, and fellow Birbhum resident Sweety Biwi with her two sons were working as ragpickers. Despite possessing Aadhaar and other identity documents, all six were rounded up by Delhi Police on suspicion of being illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. Shockingly, they were deported to Bangladesh on June 26.
Legal Battle and Supreme Court Intervention
The case saw a protracted legal struggle. With Sunali's repatriation getting delayed, her counsel approached the Supreme Court. On December 3, the bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed the government to ensure her return "during the course of the day." When the order was not immediately complied with, her lawyer sent a mail to the court's registry early Friday seeking an urgent hearing.
This prompted action. By 3:30 pm on Friday, a team from Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and officials from the Indian embassy reached Chapai Nawabganj. They escorted Sunali and Shabir from the house of their Bangladeshi hosts, Farooq and Mumtaj Hossain, to the international border. The Hossain couple revealed that local doctors had planned to induce labour but abandoned the plan when BGB insisted on immediate handover to the Border Security Force (BSF).
Family's Anguish and Ongoing Formalities
Sunali's mother, Jyotsna, and daughter Anisha, who had travelled to Delhi for the Supreme Court hearing, returned to Birbhum on Friday. "We boarded a train from Delhi as soon as we were told Sunali was coming back. I am worried about her health. She was feeling unwell and crying when I spoke to her at noon," Jyotsna said, expressing her concern.
While the mother and son are now safe, the ordeal is not fully over. Sunali's husband, Danish Sk, remains in Bangladesh, awaiting completion of repatriation formalities along with Sweety Biwi and her two sons. Back in India, Rampurhat's chief medical officer, Sovan De, stated that all possible medical arrangements were ready for Sunali's arrival in Birbhum. Social worker Mofijul Sk, who was in Bangladesh to facilitate the return, confirmed an ambulance would transport her from Malda once doctors gave the green light.
Samirul Islam, chairperson of the West Bengal Migrant Welfare Board who led the legal battle, termed her return a historic moment. He stated it exposes the "torture and atrocities inflicted on poor Bengalis" due to wrongful identification. The case highlights critical issues of migrant rights and identity verification at borders.
