August 24, 2025

In a heart-wrenching story from West Bengal, Sunali Khatun, an eight-month pregnant woman from Birbhum, along with her husband Danish Sheikh and their eight-year-old son, have been jailed in Bangladesh. The family was reportedly ‘pushed back’ from India, labelled as illegal Bangladeshis, but their own family still doesn't know their exact situation. Sunali’s sister, Karishma Khatun, shared her last emotional conversation with Sunali on August 3. "She was crying and saying that she, her husband, and their son had been sent to Bangladesh," Karishma revealed. Sunali had called from a mobile phone in Bangladesh, but since then, all contact has been lost. "When I called back on that number the next day, she had left. I don’t know whether she has been sent to jail or where she is now. Even my father doesn’t know her whereabouts," she added. The family is deeply worried, especially about the newborn’s nationality. If Sunali delivers in Bangladesh, "what would be the nationality of the newborn?" they asked, highlighting the uncertainty and fear. This case is not alone. Another woman from Birbhum, Sweety Bibi, along with her two minor children, were also pushed back to Bangladesh. Both families used to survive by ragpicking and domestic help jobs in Delhi’s Rohini area. Samirul Islam, a prominent Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha member and chairman of the state migrant workers’ welfare board, stated, "We are in touch with the family throughout. Everything is being done so that we can bring back the two families. We are giving them full support." All six individuals were arrested at Chapainawabganj, Bangladesh, a place just 300 km from Dhaka and near the India-Bangladesh border. They were presented before the local court on Friday and sent to jail custody. This incident follows closely after Amir Sheikh, a 21-year-old from Malda, returned home after being pushed back to Bangladesh. Amir had been detained by Rajasthan police where he worked as a construction laborer and was labelled Bangladeshi before being sent over the border. The Border Security Force (BSF), however, claimed Amir had accidentally crossed into Bangladesh and was caught while trying to return to India. As these painful stories unfold, families wait anxiously and demand answers. What happens to those pushed across borders? What about human rights and basic dignity? The questions hang heavy in the air, with lives caught in the crossfire of politics and border disputes.

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Tags: Sunali khatun, Pushback, Bangladesh, Birbhum, Illegal migration, Tmc support,