Joy turns to mixed emotions in Birbhum as Sunali Khatun finally returns from Bangladesh with her young son, after months in detention. The relief in her mud-walled home in Paikar is palpable, but just a short distance away, another family clings to prayers as Sweety Bibi and her two grandsons remain absent and unseen. Sunali’s return, driven by humanitarian grounds due to her advanced pregnancy, shines a light on a larger, painful family saga that has left Sweety’s kin waiting and worrying. Sunali’s husband, Danish Sheikh, and Sweety’s cousin, along with Sweety’s three sons, had been swept up in a crackdown on so-called illegal immigrants in New Delhi earlier this year and were later moved across the border to Bangladesh. The emotional toll is evident as family members recount the strain of months apart, with Sweety’s mother, Rozina Bibi, and the rest of the clan hoping for a full reunion soon.
The backstory reveals a convoluted legal path. After being deported from Delhi in June during a crackdown, the six were flown to Guwahati and pushed across the border. Bangladesh authorities arrested them in August, and a Chapai Nawabganj court granted bail. A Calcutta High Court division bench later quashed the deportation order on procedural grounds and ordered that all six be brought home. The legal wrangle underscores how procedural missteps can complicate reunifications and intensify the human cost for families separated across borders.
Sunali, nine months pregnant at the time of her return, is now back in a place she calls home, but the family she left behind continues to wrestle with uncertainty. Sweety’s eldest son Imran, who lives with his grandparents, still asks why his mother has not yet accompanied Sunali on the homecoming. The mother-daughter divide in these cases is stark, reminding everyone that behind every deportation order are real people who rely on a fair and timely process to restore their lives. As authorities review the nuances of the case, communities in Birbhum watch closely, hoping for justice, compassion, and a reunification that can finally mend the broken pieces.
Cover image source: Who is Sunali Khatun? 26-year-old pregnant woman brought back from Bangladesh after SC order 🔗
