Sunali Khatun, a 26-year-old Bengali migrant from West Bengal, was deported to Bangladesh in June 2025 along with her family. Despite holding Indian identity documents, the Delhi police arrested her and others, accusing them of being illegal Bangladeshi migrants. They were confined in prison and pushed across the India-Bangladesh border without food or water. After reaching Bangladesh, local villagers helped them, but they were soon arrested again under Bangladesh’s Control of Entry Act for illegal entry. The deportation came amid a nationwide crackdown on alleged illegal Bangladeshi nationals in India following a security alert post the Pahalgam attack. West Bengal’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Trinamool Congress protested these moves, calling it linguistic profiling of Bengali-speaking migrants. On September 26, 2025, the Calcutta High Court ruled the deportation was illegal and ordered the government to facilitate their return, citing violation of proper procedures. The Union government challenged this order in the Supreme Court. On December 3, 2025, the Centre agreed to repatriate Sunali and her minor son on humanitarian grounds. They returned to their village in Birbhum on December 6, but her husband remains in Bangladesh. Sunali, heavily pregnant, is physically weak and still worried about her husband who has lived in Delhi for over a decade. The family struggles with trauma and uncertain futures as the crackdown on Bengali migrants continues to affect many. Mamata Banerjee condemned the deportation, saying, “How are Indian citizens being labelled Bangladeshi? She was Indian. Despite her having Indian [documents], you pushed her to Bangladesh through the Border Security Force.” Legal aid and political pressure from West Bengal officials helped bring Sunali and others back. However, many other Bengali migrants remain detained or displaced, raising concerns about discrimination based on language and origin.