Sunali Khatun’s repatriation from Bangladesh earlier this week has stirred cautious optimism for Sweety Bibi’s family, who remain stranded across the border even as a court case unfolds in India.
Amir Khan, a resident of Faikirpara in Paikar village, Birbhum district, says he is torn between hope and anxiety. He hopes his sister Sweety and her two sons might be brought back soon after years of detention and repeated pleas to authorities that Sweety is an Indian citizen.
Sweety Bibi, along with her two sons—Qurban Sheikh and Imam Dewan—was detained by Katju Nagar police in Delhi on June 27 on suspicions of being Bangladeshi nationals and were pushed across the border to Bangladesh. Their third son, Imran, escaped and is living with his grandmother in Birbhum.
The family spent more than a hundred days at the Chapai Nawabgunj correctional facility in Bangladesh as they were treated as infiltrators until the latest developments.
Sunali’s return came after the Supreme Court directed the government to bring her back on humanitarian grounds, while reports say she is nine months pregnant. She has described the experience in a Bangladesh jail as torture.
With the Supreme Court set to hear the case on December 12, Amir says there is a strong chance that Sweety and her children could be brought back once the court’s decision is clear. He emphasizes that his family has faced years of uncertainty despite Sweety’s plea that she is an Indian citizen.
This case highlights the broader, painful gaps in cross-border detentions and the need for swift, humane reviews for people caught in the middle of border security and citizenship rules.
Cover image source: Sunali Khatun recalls Bangladesh jail horror after returning to India: ‘It was torture’ 🔗
