Pregnant Bengal Woman Sunali Khatun Returns to India After Court Order
Pregnant Bengal Woman Sunali Khatun Returns to India After Court Order
Sunali Khatun, pregnant and previously detained in Bangladesh, is repatriated to India with her son after a Supreme Court directive, highlighting humanitarian considerations at the border.
In a turn of events that drew attention to humanitarian considerations at the border, 26-year-old Sunali Khatun from Birbhum and her young son were repatriated from Bangladesh to India on Friday evening after spending 103 days in a Bangladeshi prison on suspicion of being infiltrators. The move came after a Supreme Court direction to the Centre to facilitate their return.
Sunali, who lived in Rohini, Delhi, was picked up on June 18 from the Bengali Basti in Sector 26, Rohini, and later joined by her husband Danesh and other relatives—the four others detained—before they were held at the Chapai Nawabgunj correctional facility in Bangladesh. They were released on bail on December 1 on bonds of Tk 5,000 each.
An official said Sunali, in an advanced stage of pregnancy, would be transported to the Dorjee Para area of Paikar village in Murarai, Birbhum, once doctors certify she is fit to travel, and then to Malda Medical College and Hospital for medical tests and treatment.
The Union government had challenged a Calcutta High Court order directing the Centre to facilitate the return of Sunali and the others, but the Supreme Court intervened, prompting the repatriation. The other four deportees remain in Bangladesh awaiting further orders.
This episode underscores the border policy complexities and the balancing act between security concerns and humanitarian relief.
Cover image source: Pushed to Bangladesh, Bengal residents Sunali, son brought back to India after 5 months 🔗
