Pregnant Sunali Khatun defies borders and seeks justice as she returns to India after Supreme Court intervention

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Sunali Khatun, a pregnant woman who had been deported to Bangladesh earlier this year, returned to India on Friday through the Mahadipur border in West Bengal’s Malda district, accompanied by her eight-year-old son. Her return followed a Supreme Court intervention that urged the central government to allow her reentry on humanitarian grounds. The case garnered national attention after Sunali, her husband Danish Sekh, their son Sabir, and three others were deported in June on allegations of being infiltrators.

The family, originally from Birbhum district in West Bengal, was arrested by Border Guard Bangladesh under the Control of Entry Act for entering the country illegally. The ruling Trinamool Congress party in West Bengal has accused BJP-ruled states of wrongfully detaining Bengali-speaking migrant workers as infiltrators, a claim the BJP denies, instead accusing the TMC of aiding infiltrators.

Sunali’s family petitioned for her return, citing the risks associated with giving birth in a foreign country and the hardship of separation from her husband. The Supreme Court, recognizing the exceptional circumstances of her pregnancy, took a compassionate approach and suggested that her citizenship could be verified through her father’s documents. Following this suggestion, the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs coordinated her return.

On Friday, Sunali and her son crossed the border and were received by Indian officials before being reunited with their family. She was taken to Malda Medical College and Hospital for examination. Legal experts highlighted the significance of the Supreme Court’s ruling, noting that it balanced respect for immigration authority with the need for compassionate action in extraordinary cases.