Daijiworld Media Network - Birbhum
Birbhum, Dec 6: Pregnant Sunali Khatun and her eight-year-old son Sabir returned to India on Friday evening after spending over six months in Bangladesh, amid tight security arrangements by the Border Security Force (BSF). The duo crossed the India-Bangladesh border in Malda district and were taken to a local BSF camp for official formalities in the presence of senior administrative officials before being shifted to Malda Medical College and Hospital for comprehensive health check-ups.
Sunali and her son are part of a group of six Bengali-speaking Indians from Birbhum district in West Bengal, who had been pushed back to Bangladesh by the Delhi Police in June this year on suspicion of being Bangladeshi nationals. Four others from the family continue to remain in the neighbouring country.
Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam described the return as a “historic moment” and highlighted the “torture and atrocities inflicted on poor Bengalis.” Speaking to media, he said, “Sunali, who was pregnant at the time, was forcibly deported in June. After enduring six months of unimaginable suffering, she and her child have finally returned to their homeland.” He urged the Bangladesh government to immediately repatriate the remaining four family members.
The Supreme Court of India had directed the West Bengal government to provide free medical care to Sunali, who is in an advanced stage of pregnancy, after the Centre informed the bench that her return, along with Sabir, would be allowed “purely on humanitarian grounds.” The court also emphasized that the well-being of eight-year-old Sabir would be the responsibility of the Bengal government.
The bench, comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, suggested that Sunali’s citizenship could be verified based on her father Bhodu Sekh’s documents. The Supreme Court order followed a September 26 Calcutta High Court directive, which had observed that Sunali, her husband Danish Sekh, Sabir, and three others were deported without proper inquiry, violating their fundamental rights.
Bhodu Sekh, Sunali’s father, expressed immense relief and joy at the family reunion, stating that his worries would finally come to an end with the return of his daughter and grandson. The verdict comes two days after the deportees were granted bail by a Bangladesh court, bringing solace to the family in Birbhum.